Dona Nobis Pacem
by SoBadAtBeingGood
Summary: The Fire Nation Royal Family is hated around the world. Princess Izumi knows this. But will she be able to handle the pressures and dangers of her position, especially when so many want to attack her father through her.
1. Prologue

**Hello old and new readers!  
**

**The lack of Zuko/Izumi interactions in Korra bugged me. So I've been working on this new story. It's a departure from my previous multi-chapter stories. This isn't a romance. It's a deeper look at the relationship between a girl and her father. ****I'm curious to see what interest there is for such a story.**

**Enjoy the prologue!**

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The Royal Academy was a school now integrated for both boys and girls. As expected, it had always been the most prestigious school in the Fire Nation for young children. After the end of the Hundred Year War, it had been the first school to completely change their curriculum, with guidance from Fire Lord Zuko, Sokka, and historians from the Northern Water Tribe and Omashu. They not only changed their teachings of history, but have started to slowly amend the style of firebending that was being taught. Now the Academy held the precedent of Fire Nation education.

Fourteen years after the war, there were children of various ages running around in the playground in the back of the academy. Most of them were playing a rather large game of hide and explode. A few others were sitting off to the side, drawing and colouring on their personal scrolls. And then there was eight year old Izumi, Crowned Princess of the Fire Nation, sitting in the corner behind a low-hanging jacaranda tree, reading a scroll from the Yangchen Era of Fire Nation history.

This wasn't particularly unusual. Izumi preferred to sit quietly and read. Especially since many of the other kids didn't seem to like playing with her. Some of them were intimidated by her status. Others simply came from families that weren't completely supportive of her father. Even at the age of eight, Izumi knew that both her father and herself were in complicated positions. So while Izumi genuinely enjoyed quiet reading, it had the added benefit of keeping her out of trouble with the others.

Though it wasn't always successful.

"Princess Izumi."

Senbi appeared from the other side of the red jacaranda blossoms; the son of a son of a nobleman who had been a staunch supporter of Fire Lord Ozai. At the end of the war, the nobleman disappeared along with several other Ozai loyals. Senbi's father, Keichi, was the current head of the house. "Whatcha doing?" Senbi asked.

Izumi looked intently at her scroll, hoping he would go away. "Reading."

Her hopes were dashed when Senbi yanked the scroll from her hands, looking at the content with disdain. "Why are you reading about this _old_ stuff?"

"It's interesting…" Izumi said quietly. She tried to grab it back, but Senbi was larger than her and easily able to keep it away. "Give it back!"

Senbi smiled smugly as he held the scroll in the air above Izumi's head. "My dad says that nothing that happened before Sozin really matters." He dropped the scroll, the paper unrolling as it hit her head.

Izumi knelt down and tried to roll the scroll back up before Senbi stepped on it, or something equally mean. "That's because your dad's brainwashed," she mumbled under her breath.

Senbi had been walking away when he whipped around, his eyes narrowed. Apparently his hearing was better than she thought. "What did you say?" he asked, his face reddening.

Hands shaking slightly, she held the newly wrapped scroll to her chest. She stood and tried her best to avoid being confrontational. "I-It's not his fault… Father says almost everyone his age was brainwashed."

Senbi sneered, though it wasn't that threatening on a nine year old. Izumi had to resist the urge to giggle. "Well I guess that's why the daughter of such a high standing noble would stoop to be with _your_ dad."

At the mention of her mother, Izumi felt a little uncomfortable. Mai had died during childbirth, so Izumi didn't know anything about her. Her father rarely mentioned her, and Grandfather Iroh never said much beyond comparing her to embers or something equally as confusing. Even so, she was pretty sure Senbi was insulting her mother's memory, which just didn't sit right with her. "Osano's not a high standing noble," she pointed out quietly. "He started the New Ozai Society, and has been denounced as an enemy of the state." She turned around and started to walk away. "Please leave me alone. I just want to read."

"Just because your dad says they're traitors doesn't mean they are. _My_ dad says the Fire Lord is a fool and ruining our country."

Izumi stiffened, gripping the scroll even tighter. "Don't talk about my father," she warned.

"Why? Are you too stupid to see that your dad is weak? That he's a traitor - "

Izumi swung her arm around and bashed her scroll into Senbi's head. He seemed momentarily dazed, but quickly recovered, jumping at her with a scream. Izumi ducked and rammed into his stomach and knocking him to the ground. He thrust his hand up and hit her square in the jaw. Her chest burning deeply, she shook the pain off and swatted his arm aside, hitting him again and again and again…

* * *

Izumi stared hard at the ground, her legs swinging back and forth under her chair. Her chin was swollen and hurt whenever she touched it. She still couldn't seem to stop poking it, sharp pain shooting across her jaw with every prod.

Just outside the room, she could hear murmurs. No doubt Kanan had come pick her up, and her teacher was explaining what had happened. Kanan was a member of palace guard who was responsible for escorting Izumi to and from school every day. He was also responsible for delivering messages between her school and her father.

The voice got louder and the door was opened. "Izumi?"

Izumi's head shot up. That wasn't her teacher's voice. Or her Kanan's.

"Fire Lord Zuko, I really do think it's better if your daughter stayed home a few days to think about her actions."

The Fire Lord turned back to the teacher with a smile. "Thank you. I agree that that would probably be best." He looked back at Izumi, who looked down and away. She couldn't stand to see her father look at her like… well, like _that_. "Could you give me a moment with my daughter?

Her teacher respectfully bowed and left, closing the door behind her. Zuko grabbed a chair and pulled it over. His pace seemed slower than it actually was. Izumi could almost taste her father's disappointment in every step. She just wanted to be back in the palace, this conversation already over and done with.

Zuko sat across from his daughter, their knees barely two inches away from each other. "Izumi."

She heard the silent command. She didn't want to comply but knew there was no point in waiting. Gripping the fabric of her pants, she hesitantly looked up and met her father's face. He looked very serious, but didn't seem mad. In fact, his eyes softened in concern as he leaned forward and lightly touched her bruised chin. "How does it feel?"

"It's nothing," she said. "You should see Senbi."

"Izumi…" Zuko chided. He brought his hand back, still watching her with a serious expression. She felt like he was burning a hole through her. "What happened?"

"Sifu… Sifu didn't tell you?"

"She did. But I want to hear it from you. It's so unlike you, Izumi. You're hardly ever violent. You may get into fights sometimes, but what your Sifu described doesn't sound like you at all."

"I'm sorry," she said sincerely. "I didn't mean to cause trouble."

"Just tell me what happened."

Izumi looked back down at her knees. She wanted to resume her leg-swinging, but she would end up kicking her father if she did. She settled by jigging her leg up and down. "I didn't want to fight," she said. "I tried to walk away. I really did! Senbi just…" The fabric in her hands protested under the strain of her hold. "He called you a traitor."

"Ah, I see." Zuko gently gripped Izumi's hands, rubbing them to get them to release their death grip. "Sweetheart, you know that a _lot_ of people in the Fire Nation think I'm a traitor."

"I know but… but it's not fair! You're _not_ a traitor!"

"No, but life isn't fair, Izumi. It's not fair that most of the world hates me for one reason or another. It's not fair that the hatred pours over to you." He brushed a hand over her hair, smiling sadly. "But this is the world we live in. And many people are completely justified for their hatred of the Fire Nation. Unfortunately, it will probably be another few _decades_ before the world starts to leave the Hundred Year War behind. My only hope is that the world won't hate _you_ by the time you have to take the throne."

Izumi shook her head. "You're not a bad person. You're a really _good_ person. A great person! Why can't people see that!?"

Zuko smiled. "I'm glad you think so. But the world is very angry at our family for starting the war, and many in the Fire Nation are angry at me for ending it."

Izumi frowned. "I don't understand…"

"I know. It's complicated. You'll understand when you're older. In the meantime, you can't physically fight every person who insults us. It would never end. You need to learn to ignore them."

She sighed. "I tried ignoring him… I _did_ ignore him, even when he insulted Mom." Zuko stiffened, and Izumi regretted mentioning it. "It was just when Senbi called you a traitor... I got so angry, I _had_ to hit him!"

Zuko smirked before quickly covering it up, taking a deep breath. "I understand. Really, I do. There have been plenty of times I've wanted to take a swing at some of the more conservative nobles. But you're going to need to learn to let that anger go, like I have. Hurting these people isn't going to make them _like_ our family, is it?"

Izumi deflated. "I guess not."

Placing a hand on his daughter's shoulder, Zuko leaned in until their foreheads were touching. "You're a smart girl. Smarter than most kids your age. It won't be easy, but you'll learn to hear their insults and brush them off with your head held high."

Her father attempted to wrap his arms around her, and Izumi took it as an invitation. So she crawled onto his lap and curled into his chest. "I'm trying…" she said disheartened.

Zuko held her close. "You're doing well. _I_ certainly wasn't as level headed as you are when I was your age. I was always losing my temper and getting into trouble."

Izumi sat up to look at her father. "Really?"

"Really. You have no idea what an incredible child you are." He gave her another squeeze before gently taking her off his lap and standing. "Let's go back home."

Izumi grasped her father's hand. "I really am sorry for fighting."

Zuko smiled. "Apology accepted."

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**So what do you all think? Want me to continue?**


	2. Chapter 1

**Hey all!**

**So, with overwhelming support, I will be continuing my story :) I hope I can meet everyone's expectations.**

**I would like to preface this chapter and say that I know nothing of martial arts, so I might accidentally be using some terminology wrong. Sorry :/**

**Enjoy Chapter 1!**

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**Seven Years Later**

"Princess Izumi? It's your turn."

Right. It was her turn to once again make a fool of herself in front of her firebending instructors. Such fun.

Unable to shake off the jittering in her limbs, Izumi stood and entered the small arena. As per usual, the Academy's three top instructors were there, sitting at a table with their brushes and scrolls ready to judge her. Sometimes she wondered if they enjoyed watching the Crown Princess fall miserably behind her peers.

"You are being re-evaluated on Luohan Quan?"

"Yes," she replied, remaining outwardly calm despite the pit in her stomach. This was a set that most firebending children mastered at around fourteen. The members of the Royal Family generally mastered it around ten. And here she was at fifteen, hoping she wouldn't fail for a second time.

"Proceed when ready."

Last month during her evaluation, she fell in the middle of her routine. While this wasn't her best presentation, she didn't misstep or fall over this time. She firebended when she was supposed to, and while it wasn't a fantastic display, she did everything correctly. She only hoped that it would be enough.

Once she was done, she bowed respectfully and waited for their decision. Either they would give her approval to go on to the next level, or have her practice Luohan Quan for another month. Her instructors were whispering among themselves, and while most people wouldn't be able to discern what was being said, Izumi could hear every word.

"She did everything correctly..."

"But shouldn't we expect mastery? If her basics aren't solid, it will only cause more problems later."

"I think she's learned everything she needs to learn to move on. She can still work on refining this form while she learns new ones."

"Yes, but you'd think we could expect _more_ from our Crown Princess."

Izumi took a deep breath and began to hum quietly, forcing herself to ignore them as they deliberated. It was rude for her to be eavesdropping anyway. She wasn't _meant_ to hear any of this. Though that didn't soften the sting of their words.

"Princess Izumi."

Izumi stopped humming and acknowledged them with a slight bow of the head. "Yes?"

"After some deliberation, we have decided that you should move on to the advanced set."

Izumi's shoulders relaxed. "Thank you," she said with a relieved smile.

"However, we would like to add that there is more for you to gain from continuing to practice Luohan Quan, even as you learn new forms."

"Of course," Izumi said. She bowed deeply. "Thank you again."

She knew she was cutting them off, but she needed to get out of that room. She practically ran outside, releasing her breath with a violent sigh. While she was grateful that it was over, she still felt the lingering threads of anxiety gripping her. Her fists clenched tightly at her sides, she headed back to the changing room. But just before she got there, she was stopped by her primary instructor, Sifu Enzi.

He bowed respectively. "May I speak with you, Your Highness?"

Izumi felt her shoulders stiffen, but she nodded. "Of course."

"I'm… concerned about your training. You've always been a relatively non-violent child, but you've been steadily falling behind your peers for a few years now."

She nodded tersely. "I'm aware."

Enzi shook his head. "I just don't understand _why_. You're an excellent student; one of our finest in every subject. I just don't understand how you still struggle to master these forms."

"I practice every day for two hours," Izumi said quietly, staring intently at Sifu Enzi's feet. "Sometimes even more. I don't know what more I can do to learn faster."

"I know you're _trying_ very hard. But it's just not enough. I hadn't told Fire Lord Zuko yet because I had hoped you were just a late bloomer and would eventually catch up. However… if the nation's heir is struggling to master the basics, the Fire Lord needs to know."

Izumi closed her eyes. She had been maintaining a vain hope that her instructors would never feel a need to involve her father. Her father was so busy, the last thing he needed was to worry over the fact that his daughter was a poor bender. With a soft sigh, she looked back up at Sifu Enzi. "I agree. You needn't bother. I will inform him myself. I promise I will not make light of my… deficient firebending progress."

"I trust you, Princess. You've never been one to lie or manipulate." He smiled sympathetically. "You're a good hearted girl and an excellent student. I'm just sorry your bending is so lacking." He gave a quick bow. "I will see you tomorrow morning. Let me know what decisions the Fire Lord makes."

Izumi watched his back as he walked away, a soft roaring growing in her ears. She _knew_ this day was coming. She _knew_ she couldn't hide this from her father forever. Frankly, it was a miracle Sifu Enzi hadn't told him sooner. She had just hoped there would have never been a _need_ to.

Her friends wanted to go out and celebrate; she had been approved for the advanced sets and they (while being non-benders) had all been approved for the mastery level of their martial arts. However, Izumi was in no mood for celebration. She found Kanan waiting for her in his usual spot near the entrance of the Academy. "We're going back to the palace," she said.

They began to walk back via their usual route, through the early evening crowds of Capital City's citizens. Kanan was dressed casually and Izumi never dressed extravagantly, so they walked unnoticed through the throngs of people.

Izumi could see Kanan glancing at her every few minutes. Having been her personal guard for most of her life, he knew her better than most. Izumi knew that he could tell she was upset. He didn't want to bring it up because it might make her more irritable. It was… annoying to say the least. She was only able to take about ten minutes of it before she rolled her eyes. "Stop doing that. I'm fine."

"No, you're not. You're tenser than normal. You're also glaring."

"I do not _glare_."

"Oh yes you do. You may not have the Fire Lord's temper, but you definitely inherited that glare."

Izumi sighed. "It's nothing. I just need to… talk to Father about something. Something I should have told him a while ago."

"And that something is…?"

"That my bending isn't where it should be for a fifteen year old member of the Royal Family."

Kanan frowned. "You mean… that your firebending isn't that good?"

"That's a bit of an understatement."

"I see..." Kanan looked confused. "Why does it matter?"

Izumi stopped, staring at her guard incredulously. He must be joking. "What do you mean '_why does it matter_'? I'm the Crown Princess of the Fire Nation. I should have almost completely mastered firebending by now. That is, if I was going to be a satisfactory Fire Lord after my father. But no, I'm a year _behind_ my average peer. How would _you_ feel if you had to tell your father your inadequacies?"

"Does the Fire Lord _expect_ you to be a master firebender by now?"

Izumi frowned. "I… I don't know, actually. My father doesn't actually talk about bending much. He prefers to talk about my other studies, to hear about what I'm learning. Partially - I think - to make sure the Academy isn't teaching false information."

"Then why would you be upset? It doesn't sound like the Fire Lord will be angry with you."

"Not _angry_. Just... disappointed. What kind of future Fire Lord struggles with firebending?"

They continued walking in silence until Kanan shook his head and stopped again. "Princess… You are aware of my background, right?"

Blinking at the change in subject, she nodded. "You were born in the colonies. Your mother is a Fire Nation citizen and your father was an Earth Kingdom one. Your father was killed during the war, and you and your mother moved to the Capital during the Harmony Restoration Movement."

"And I'm an earthbender."

"Yes…"

"Your Highness, how many ethnic Earth Kingdom people - how many _earthbenders_ \- are employed at the palace?"

"I don't know... Not many. Thirty or so? I think only three or four are earthbenders besides yourself."

"And isn't that remarkable?"

Izumi frowned. "I don't see what you mean."

"It's only been twenty years since the end of the war. Do you have any idea how _extraordinary_ it is that the Royal Palace employs those who were so recently the enemy?"

"They weren't the enemy. They were Fire Nation citizens by birth, even during the war."

Kanan sighed. "You are not nearly as… racist as most others are. You're probably too young to remember this: but not long after the Harmony Restoration Movement, the Fire Lord purposefully hired as many ethnic Earth Kingdom people as he could, including myself. There was a lot of outrage from many Fire Nation citizens. They believed that he was giving coveted jobs to inferior people. But Fire Lord Zuko insisted upon it. He believed that having an integrated staff would help both the Fire Nation and the Earth Kingdom overcome their prejudices. It _has_ succeeded... in small ways. The number of outcries for our deportation have decreased, and the Earth Kingdom is slowly starting to believe that the Fire Nation _can_ change. But as small as these victories are, it's remarkable that they've happened so soon after such a horrific war. And _your father_ made it happen. Did he need firebending to do any of that?"

"I suppose not. But - "

"Princess…" Kanan stood in front of her, bowing so they were eye level. "Please don't talk down about yourself. You are incredibly intelligent and you care about your people; _that's_ what's important. You don't need to be a master firebender to be a good Fire Lord. Your father proved that."

Izumi wanted to protest, to say that her father _is_ a master firebender and that the Fire Lord has other responsibilities that _do_ require bending. But one look at Kanan's plantative expression, and Izumi reluctantly nodded. "Okay."

Kanan smiled and stood back straight. "Good."

The rest of their journey back to the palace was in silence save for the din of the city. While Izumi still had doubts about talking to her father about her bending, she had to admit that she did feel a little better.

When they got back, Kanan went to check in with the Head of the Guard, and Izumi went to her room to wash up and change her clothes before dinner. For the last few months, she had been eating more and more dinners on her own. They were coming up on the twentieth anniversary of when Fire Lord Zuko had declared the Hundred Year War over. Her father was working closely with King Kuei and Avatar Aang to bring a close to negotiations in regards to the structure and territory of the new United Republic of Nations. Their hope was to conclude negotiations and sign the new country into being on the anniversary.

For the first time since these negotiations became serious, Izumi hoped her father would be too busy to attend dinner.

After her bath, Izumi dressed herself in casual evening gown, a plain red dress that fell loosely over her. It was trimmed in a black and golden design that depicted angular-styled dragons. Her maid, Jaya, helped put up her hair so that the water wouldn't run down her back. After her hair was secured up in a neat braid, Izumi stood and smiled. "Thank you, Jaya."

Jaya smiled and bowed. "You're most welcome, Your Highness."

Her father disliked over-the-top pomp and circumstance, so when they weren't having any official functions, they would eat in a small dining room that was close to their rooms. As she dragged her feet there, Izumi was imagining the conversation with her father, going over the various possibilities for _how_ she could to tell him and what his possible reactions were going to be. Even knowing that he wouldn't be angry with her, she knew that her lack of progress was going to be still going to be a disappointment. Or at least make him realize that she wasn't the perfect heir he thought she was.

A low rumble could be heard from the dining room as she approached, which made her smile. When she walked in, she found the large red lizard curled around the table as expected. "Hey there, Druk..." When she knelt down and offered her hand, he raised his head and rubbed against it, another rumble vibrating from his chest. Izumi scratched the thinner scales under his mane. "You're getting big… you must be nearly twenty feet long now. Hard to imagine you used to easily drape over my shoulders. Though I guess you're still small by dragon standards. Dad says Ran and Shaw were nearly two _hundred_ feet long."

Druk raised his head a bit further so he was at level with Izumi's head. He touched his muzzle to her neck, making her smile wider. "If you're here, I suppose that means Father isn't far behind." She rubbed up and down his neck with a sigh. "Just my luck. Though this means I can't agonize over it longer…"

On cue, the sound of voices could be heard from the far end of the hallway. One didn't have to listen too carefully to hear the worried voices of the Fire Lord's advisers and the terse voice of the Fire Lord himself.

"My Lord, we still need to go over the southern border! If we split the mountain range - !"

"It can wait until later."

"But you also need to go over the finalists for the ethnic Fire Nation representative! Not to mention prepare a speech for the Earth King's arrival."

The Fire Lord spun around as he entered the dining room, blocking his advisers. "The Earth King and the Avatar's family aren't arriving for another week. I can spare an _hour_ to eat dinner with my daughter."

"But - !"

Zuko slammed the door shut, turning back around and leaning against it with a frustrated sigh.

"Rough day?" Izumi asked bemused.

Zuko glared at her. "To say the least." He stood and walked up to the table, hands gripping the top of the chair. "One more month… this will all be over in one more month."

They sat and the palace chef brought in their dinner and wheeled in Druk's pallet of fresh meat. Izumi leaned back and watched Druk dig into his meal. "Druk's not going to be able to stay in the palace much longer. At least, not the inner rooms."

Zuko raised an eyebrow as he chewed on his food. "What do you mean?"

"Father, haven't you noticed how _big_ he's gotten? If we're not careful, the only way we're going to be able to get Druk out is by knocking the walls down."

Zuko looked at Druk's body as it curled around the table. "You may have a point."

"_May_? I'm almost positive Druk's growth is accelerating. I mean, it makes sense. He's nearly five years old now, which corresponds to the middle stage of dragon childhood. Part of that is going to include increased growth."

Knowing he was being talked about, Druk looked up at Zuko, licking the blood from his jaws. Zuko scratched his snout. "Maybe you _should_ stop going into rooms with small entrances from now on, 'kay?"

Druk acknowledged him with a soft nudge before resuming his meal.

Zuko turned back to Izumi. "So how was your day? Hopefully better than mine."

Her stomach twisted as she stabbed at her dinner. "Better than your day, certainly…"

His chewing slowed. "Is there a 'but' coming?"

Izumi's leg started to jump up and down restlessly. _Now or never._ "I have never lied to you, Father. However, I have not always been forthcoming about my progress in school."

Zuko chuckled lightly. "Don't tell me that you've been doing poorly in your classes. You're too excited and obsessive about your studies; I just wouldn't believe you."

"I'm doing fine in my classes. It's… my bending that's poor."

The humour left her father's face, falling carefully neutral. "What do you mean?"

As expected, there was no sign of anger, though Izumi didn't see any disappoint either. Not yet. "At the Academy, we are evaluated once a month to check the progress on our bending or chosen martial art. It's not meant as an assessment, though these are the only times we can gain approval to move on to the next set or level. Today, we had our monthly evaluation..."

"How did you do?"

He didn't sound judgmental or like he was anticipating the worst. Just genuinely curious. With a deep breath, she said, "I... just got approval to move on to the advanced set."

Zuko looked a little confused. "That's great, Izumi!"

"What do you mean '_that's great_'? I'm fifteen! I should have gotten to the advanced set years ago."

Her father waved his hand dismissively. "Forget about where you _should_ be. Requiring children to meet certain bending benchmarks is an idea from the war that needs to be shaken off."

"Then… you don't care that I'm so behind?"

"Izumi, I know you haven't been slacking off. I know you practice every day. Now, if you had been _avoiding_ practicing, that would be different. But as long as you're trying your hardest and are making progress…"

"Really _slow_ progress."

Zuko considered at his daughter for a moment. He looked a little sad, which was the last emotion Izumi had expected from her father. Finally, he sighed. "Izumi… You know that _I_ was always behind in bending while I was growing up."

Izumi frowned. "I know that you were always behind your sister, but that was because she was a prodigy."

Zuko shook his head. "Even compared to other children my age, I was always behind."

"But you trained Aang; an _Avatar_."

"Well, I got better. And I wasn't a master at that point. I probably didn't truly master firebending until a year or two after the war." Zuko took another bite of food. "I was a… prodigy at swordsmanship as a child, but not bending. Ozai always took every opportunity to remind me what a failure I was."

"Yes, but Ozai is a dishonorable tyrant."

Zuko smirked. "Yes he is. Which is my point. The idea that children need to have a soldier's ability to bend is a notion best left for tyrants."

Izumi looked down at her plate, slowly poking and nibbling on her food. After a minute, she put her chopsticks down. "So… you don't care that I'm so behind?"

Finished with his meal, Zuko picked up his cup of tea. "As long you're giving it honest effort and you're happy, then I'm happy." He took a sip of his tea only to cringe at the taste and put it back down. "Are _you_ happy?"

Izumi shrugged. "Depends what you mean by '_happy'_."

"Are you happy with your firebending progress?"

She shook her head. "No… not at all. I want to be better."

Zuko nodded slowly. "I see."

"Actually…" Izumi said thoughtfully, "... once you've finished finalizing and establishing the United Republic, do you think _you_ could help me out with my bending?"

He looked surprised, but smiled. "After things calm down, I can try to help. I'm surprised you'd _want_ me to teach you."

"I mean, you taught the Avatar. Why _wouldn't_ I?"

"I just thought kids your age hated having their parents helping them with anything. When I was your age, I definitely had a tendency to... _resist_ most advice Uncle gave me."

"Well… I imagine most parents spend a lot more time with their children. When kids reach adolescence, they feel their parents are being overbearing. You're busier than the average parent, so I haven't experienced those feelings."

"Mmm..." Zuko tapped the edge of his plate, looking a little upset. "I _wish_ I could spend more time with you. It's rare if I ever see you outside of dinner. And it's only gotten worse in the last few months."

"It's fine, Father," Izumi assured. "You're the Fire Lord. You have the whole nation to take care of."

"Still, I do actually _enjoy_ spending time with my daughter." He sighed. "I promise, we'll definitely figure out time to train after all this United Republic stuff is behind us."

Izumi smiled, eager at the prospect. "I'm looking forward to it."

"Good. Hopefully, we'll also be able to spend a little more time together starting next week. With Kuei, Aang and Katara, and their children coming, there are going to be more public functions."

"Those don't really count," Izumi said. "You're technically working at those."

"That's true. Though Uncle will probably insist on also having some family time…"

Izumi sat up. "Grandfather is coming?" she asked excitedly.

"He's coming in with Aang's family. I'm pretty sure Aang and Katara are using him as a babysitter in exchange for a ride."

"I'm sure Grandfather doesn't mind. He loves children. But I can't wait! It's been over a year since we've seen him last!"

"He's been wanting to come out, but the tea shop has been taking all of his free time. I think he _finally_ hired some managers to help him out, and decided to take this opportunity to come out and visit us for a change."

"Grandfather's getting really old now… I'm glad he's getting help, especially since his shop seems to only increase in popularity. He really should enjoy retirement more."

"This _is_ Uncle enjoying retirement. In his last letter, he said his bubble tea was finally taking off. I don't think he's been this excited since you were born." Zuko grimaced slightly. "Though I have to say, I don't really get what people see in that stuff…"

Izumi shrunk into her chair. "I _like_ his bubble tea…"

Zuko shook his head in amusement. "I just don't get it. It's definitely one of Uncle's weirder ideas. But if it's doing well..." He shrugged.

They talked for a while longer while Izumi ate the rest of her dinner. The bundle of anxiety in her stomach had calmed, though she wasn't any more pleased with where her firebending was. However, if this shortcoming meant some personal training with her father, she supposed that was alright.

Having taken the _'hour'_ comment seriously, Zuko's advisers came back around almost exactly sixty minutes later. He gave Izumi a slight _look_ before reluctantly allowing them to drag him back, Druk following closely behind. Izumi looked outside to see that the sun setting. She needed to practice before attending to her other studies, but she took a few moments to watch the sun fully set, absorbing the last vestiges of Agni's energy for the day.

* * *

**So what do you all think? Review and let me know. All criticisms welcome.**


	3. Chapter 2

**Hey all!**

**I think I've finally got a handle on Izumi's characterization. Let me know if you notice any inconsistencies. Criticisms are always welcome :)**

**Enjoy Chapter 2!**

* * *

When Izumi told Sifu Enzi about her plans to train with her father, he seemed surprised and cautiously supportive. "If the Fire Lord believes that is the best way to compensate for your lack of progress, then of course I approve." There was something in his tone that made Izumi uncomfortable, but she just smiled and bowed in response. If this was enough to get her instructors off her back, then she wasn't going to complain.

She had doubled her efforts during her training in and out of the Academy. Before, she had always been self-conscious practicing in front of other people. (And of course, since she was the princess, she was hardly _ever_ alone.) All she would think about is how pathetic must seem as a member of the Royal Family. But now fueled by excitement, she found she didn't care what others might be thinking. Her father, a master firebender who had once been in her position (though she had trouble imagining that), was going to personally train her. While she _was_ learning her new movesets, she mostly concentrated on what she had already learned, refining them. It may have been what her instructors had advised her to, but her main motivation was to show her father she wasn't quite as terrible as she implied: to exceed his expectations.

She also realized later on that she could ask her grandfather for help once he arrived. He was too old - and too _retired_ \- to do any real training, but he could give her suggestions and guidelines. After all, he _was_ the one who taught her father.

It had been three days since the dinner with her father. It was mid-afternoon and she with three of her closest friends, working on their history homework. They were currently studying the battles of the Hundred Year War.

"_In 7 ASC, Fire Lord Sozin besieged the city of Han Tui. Despite being outnumbered ten to one, how did Sozin eventually win the battle?_" Wan frowned. "I don't remember talking about this in class at _all_…"

"We didn't," Izumi said. "It was in our readings."

Reiko sighed. "Of course it was. How does Sifu Ota expect us to do all these massive readings _and_ finish the homework every week?"

"Well, it was actually from last week's readings." Izumi pulled the appropriate scroll from her bag. Rolling it to the correct section, she placed it on the table for the others to see. "Han Tui had been suffering from a drought. The wind was in his favor, so Sozin was able to completely burn Han Tui's outer defenses and take the city."

"Izumi to the rescue," Quan said excitedly, scribbling down from her scroll.

"You guys really should do the readings…" Izumi said. "They only take an hour or two if you just sit down and do them."

"I honestly don't know when you find the time, Izumi," Reiko said. "Between all of our other classes and the extra practice you do, how do you have any free time?"

"I don't know… I never feel like I _don't_ have free time. Maybe it's because if I'm not doing homework, I'm usually reading any historical scroll I can get my hands on. I know that makes me a bit of an oddity..."

"It's that massive brain of yours," Quan said. "You gotta fill it up with _something_. Meanwhile, the rest of us mortals are struggling to just to fit in all the stuff our teachers want us to know."

Izumi shrugged, uncomfortable hearing herself referred to 'not mortal'. "Let's finish this up."

By the time they needed to go to their next class, they had finished all but a couple questions. As they packed, Izumi excused herself. "I need to use the bathroom."

Once she finished her business and was walking back, she saw her friends huddled over the table, whispering to each other. Izumi frowned and was about to call their attention when she overheard them.

"... Princess _Know-It-All_…"

She froze in her spot. They were talking about her behind her back? In a way, she was almost in awe by their gall. After all, she had only gone to the bathroom, which only ever took her a minute or two. However, the sickening feeling in her stomach only grew as they continued to talk to one another, none of them having noticed her.

She knew she shouldn't; she knew she should just confront her friends directly. They probably had an explanation. But she found herself slipping quietly behind the gold and black decorative folding screen, hoping she had just misunderstood.

"... to my father. He _still_ thinks it'll somehow gain political favor with the Fire Lord. I keep trying to explain to him that it's not going to work. The princess is way too… detached to give the Fire Lord recommendations based purely on _friendship_."

"She is rather robotic... Ugh, even if it did benefit my family's political standing, it's not really worth the utter _boredom_."

"_I_ think it's worth it. If anything, she makes homework a lot easier. She may suck at fighting, but she's useful for basically all of our other classes."

"You're just using her…"

"Psh, like what you guys are doing is any better."

"Well at least _we're_ not lazy bums who would have failed out of the Academy if his parents didn't keep throwing money at it."

The conversation was turning and Izumi knew there was no more reason to hide. She had heard all that she had needed to. And yet, she was paralyzed behind the screen, her skin numb and her insides swirling uncomfortably fast.

"Where is she anyway? It's not like her to take so long in the bathroom."

Izumi stood straighter, unnecessarily smoothing out her clothes. With a deep breath, she stepped out from behind the screen with the most genuine smile she could muster. "Sorry it took me so long, guys. I'm, uh…" She placed a hand on her stomach. "... not feeling too great." Which wasn't a lie. She _was_ feeling sick to her stomach.

Reiko frowned. "Are you alright?"

Izumi could hear the concern in her voice, a concern she had heard before. She looked at Reiko, knowing that it was farce. All Reiko was doing was maintaining their faux friendship for her father's sake. "I'm fine," Izumi said with a half smile. "I think I'm just going to go home after class."

Reiko gave her one last look before shrugging and picking up her bag. "Well we better get a move on. We might actually be late at this rate."

As Izumi trailed behind her… her friends… there was an odd empty halo that surrounded her. She couldn't hear the others talking, feel the hard ground below her as she walked, or even really see her surroundings. Her body was on autopilot as she thought over the last couple of years. She thought over all those conversations where she played almost no part and realized that she was almost always a passive bystander. The only times they seemed genuinely excited to be with her was when they were doing homework. They almost never met outside of school except for those few times that they would celebrate the end of their monthly evaluations. And that was usually with a larger group. With their _real_ friends.

If there was one attribute that Izumi held pride in, it was her intelligence: her ability to see and understand situations more clearly than others. But for all of her vast knowledge and intuition, she had been completely oblivious to the fact that Reiko, Wan, and Quan... weren't really her friends; that they were just _using_ her. Perhaps she had been blinded by all her years of loneliness in school. Or perhaps it was because she lacked experience in matters such as long term friendship.

Either way, she knew now what people meant when they described her as cold. Because that's how she felt right now. Cold and empty. Izumi, Crown Princess of the Fire Nation, top of her class in everything but bending… was friendless.

* * *

Izumi was usually slow and deliberate when she practiced her bending. She was always determined to move through her flows as perfectly as possible, no matter what pace she had to take. But not today.

The cold emptiness from earlier was gone, replaced by a burning liquid in her veins. It was a familiar - if old - feeling; a feeling she had successfully repressed when she was younger; a feeling that usually only made an appearance when she overheard someone insulting her father. In the past, her inability to control such a feeling would result in her hitting something or some_one_. Today, she poured all of this feeling into her bending, letting it flow out of her in waves of fire.

"Princess, I think you should slow down," Tasen said, standing a safe distance away. "At this rate, you're only going to repeat and solidify your mistakes instead of fixing them."

Tasen was an Imperial Firebender and a friend of Kanan. On Izumi's behalf, Kanan had asked Tasen if he could help guide her firebending before she started training with her father. Tasen had agreed, and the first couple of days had gone very well. Her progress was slow as always, but Tasen was quick to point out her problems and help her fix them. He was quite candid, which she appreciated.

Izumi took a deep breath. "I'm aware. But right now, I don't really have the patience to _fix_ anything." She kicked her leg up, an unnecessarily large arc of fire exploding above her. She twisted her arm forward, another stream of fire intersecting the arc. Releasing her breath with a sigh, she stood straight. "I'm sorry… I know I'm not exactly in control right now. I just…!" She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, trying to get a hold of this feeling welling up inside of her. "I'm not really in any condition to train today. I'm sorry for wasting your time."

"That's alright, Princess. I understand the need to blow off steam every now and again." He bowed. "I'll see you tomorrow, Your Highness."

Izumi nodded. "Tomorrow." She held a slight frown as she watched him leave. _Blowing off steam? Is that what I'm doing?_ She was... upset... and firebending more recklessly than normal seemed to help relieve that stress. _I suppose that **would** be how you would define that idiom._

Thinking it over more logically actually helped her calm down, though she was still upset. While she wasn't boiling the training grounds with her firebending any longer, she continued her less-than-refined practice. She hated this feeling and the loss of control that accompanied it, but right now, she would do anything to distract herself. Normally she would do homework when she was upset, but that was the last thing she wanted to do. Firebending was the something that separated her from them. They were non-benders. When they had their monthly evaluations, they were tested on their chosen martial art instead of bending. Though even by those standards, they excelled beyond her abilities.

Izumi stopped practicing with a frustrated sigh. The bending wasn't actually helping. She was still thinking about them.

Maybe that's what she needed to do: think about it. Consider the situation from every angle and analyze it to oblivion. That had always been her strong point.

She sat at the edge of the arena, wiped her sweat off with a towel, and thought. Or tried to think. Really, she could only hear their words repeating over and over again. She tried to splice out some other meaning, make their statements have some more innocent intent. But she couldn't. Their statements had been too explicit. It's not like they were talking about some _other_ friend who had a close connection to the Fire Lord.

She buried her face in her hands, trying to quell the shaking in her shoulders. It was stupid to cry over something like this. She had only been 'friends' with them for two years. In the grand scheme of things, that was nothing. She would look back on this insignificant event, chide her past self for being so naive, and move on with her life. There was no reason for her to be upset.

So why couldn't she shake this _feeling_?

"Princess?"

It was Kanan. While it wasn't unusual for him to check up on her during the day - even when they were in the palace - she could only assume that he was here because Tasen had told him of her current state.

Rubbing away the unwanted pressure behind her eyes, she looked up. "Hello, Kanan."

He gave a slight bow. "I just wanted to see how you were. Tasen said you were blowing off steam, which I don't think I've _ever_ seen you do."

Izumi sighed. "I was. Earlier. I've calmed down since then."

"Hmm… I'm a little sorry I missed it."

She frowned, looking up at her guard. "What do you mean? I was just firebending more recklessly than I should have."

"_You_ were firebending recklessly. I've seen you get angry, but I haven't seen or heard of you acting in any way that would be considered _reckless_ since you were eight."

"Yes, well… it won't happen again." She stood and started to gather her things. If nothing was going to successfully distract her, she might as well do homework.

"So what's wrong?" Kanan asked.

"Nothing of consequence."

He almost scoffed. Probably would have if she were not a princess. "You really think I'm going to accept that answer?"

"I am your princess and you'll do as your ordered!"

He seemed unfazed. "You haven't ordered me to do anything."

That was true. For a brief moment, Izumi wanted to order him to shut up, but then realized she was being immature. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to yell at you. I'm just…"

"Upset. Even more upset than you were a few days ago before talking to the Fire Lord."

Izumi made her way to the exit of the training grounds, Kanan following closely behind. She didn't know if she wanted to tell him, but realized she needed to talk to _someone_. Ideally that would have been her father, but he didn't have time for such a trivial matter. "Do you think I'm… boring?"

"Boring?"

Izumi waited for him to continue, then realized that he wanted her to elaborate. She simply shrugged. "I'm always reading and studying, even in my free time. For most people, they would consider that boring. I'm also a bit more practical and analytic than others. Maybe that doesn't exactly make me 'boring' but I suppose it makes me… detached?"

"You're certainly not like other kids your age, I'll give you that much. But I would never say you were _boring_."

Izumi eyed him. "Are you just saying that because I'm the princess and you don't want to insult me?"

Kanan smiled. "Of course not. You're not a boring person. I speak from experience, seeing as I spend a great deal of my life being around you."

That was true. But Izumi had to also consider the fact that this was the opinion of just one man. His opinion may not be shared by others.

A part of her asked why she even cared. Who cares if she's boring? Or detached? Or robotic? That didn't make her a bad person. It might make her less relatable person, but certainly not a worse one.

These statements may be true, but it wasn't making her feel better.

"Well, at the very least…" Izumi said, "... I'm glad that _you_ don't think I'm boring. Your life would be incredibly dull otherwise."

And with that, their conversation ended, just as she intended. She excused herself and then went to get washed up. As she bathed, she silently hoped her father would find time to have dinner with her tonight. They didn't need to talk about her friends, and she didn't really want to. She just wanted to have a nice casual conversation with him. Maybe let him rant about his overbearing advisers for a little bit. Just being with him would help make Izumi feel better.

Of course, when she got to their usual dining room, the chef gave Fire Lord Zuko's apologies, that he wouldn't be able to join her this evening. While Izumi wasn't surprised, she was disappointed. More disappointed than she had expected to be. But she told herself that it was alright. In a few days, Grandfather will be here, and he'll make her tea, tell her stories, and play pai sho with her. And he'll probably _insist_ on dinners with her father.

But tonight, she ate dinner alone, once again trying to force herself not to think about her friends. After half an hour of picking at her food, she stood, thanked the chef, and returned to her room to finish her homework.

It was taking much longer than usual. Her mind kept going in tangents, still analyzing her friends' words or remembering a time when their actions should have clued Izumi in. It was starting to get quite annoying.

It was after midnight, and Izumi was still working on her last assignment. It was a history assignment that wasn't due for another week, but since she knew she was going to be busy with public functions and hanging out with her grandfather, she wanted to get it out of the way. Of course, this assignment was going even slower than all her other ones, but she was determined.

_Princess Know-It-All_

Did she act like that? Did she flaunt her extensive knowledge in people's faces? She certainly didn't try to, but maybe she did so unconsciously. Maybe she should consciously try not talk so much.

This homework _should_ be easy. It was about the Harmony Restoration Movement, which she had heard about time and time again from primary sources like her father and Aang. So why was she having so much trouble even comprehending the questions?

_Even if it did benefit my family's political standing, it's not really worth the utter **boredom**._

Kanan didn't think she was boring. Her father didn't think she was boring. Or did he? Maybe that's why he doesn't come to dinner as much anymore: because she bored him with all of her blather about what she had recently learned. The negotiations were just a convenient excuse.

Izumi shook her head. Okay, now she was just being stupid. If her father had thought she was boring, he wouldn't have gone out of his way to _try_ and have dinner with her these last couple weeks.

She really needed to stop thinking about all of this. She just needed to finish her homework and go to bed. She would feel better tomorrow after some sleep.

With that thought, Izumi's brush froze in its position. _Tomorrow._

With all of her focus on what _had_ happened, she had given no thought on what _will_ happen. She knew she needed to confront them, to tell them that she had heard what they said. But a part of her wanted to keep pretending for a little longer, to go along with the act and pretend she still had friends. After all, if she _hadn't_ heard them, that is precisely what she would be doing: continuing to treat them and be treated as a friend, despite their secret motives. However, Izumi knew that she was a terrible liar. She wouldn't be able to keep the act up, and they would notice that she was acting differently.

So she had to figure out how and when she was going to talk to them. Just thinking about it made her feel unsettled. It was going to be a horrible conversation. There _could_ be some hope that it was all a misunderstanding and that they would explain what they really meant, but she sincerely doubted it.

A slight shiver of anxiety ran through her body, and she sighed. She need to go to bed. She could finish her homework and figure all this out in the morning. She rolled up her scroll, the ink having already dried during her musings. Putting it away, she began to undress when Jaya walked in.

Izumi frowned. "Jaya? You're still here?"

While Jaya often assisted her in the evenings, she was allowed to leave at midnight even if the Princess was still awake. Izumi was capable of preparing herself for bed, even if her hair braiding wasn't as elegant as Jaya's.

Jaya bowed politely. "Yes, Princess. You seemed distracted earlier and thought you might want the extra assistance tonight."

Izumi shook her head. "No, I'm alright."

"Are you sure, Your Highness?" Jaya stepped closer, searching Izumi's expression. "You didn't even have me look after you during your bath."

"I know… I am a bit distracted. I just needed some time on my own to - "

There was flash of reflected light and Izumi jumped back on reflex, the blade barely brushing against her clothes. Unfazed, Jaya shouted out as she lunged at Izumi again.

Izumi barely processed the knife before she raised her arm to block the attack. She thrust her other arm forward with a pulse of fire, but Jaya twisted out of harm's way. Kneeling, she swept Izumi's legs out from under her, knocking her backward. Jaya made to stab at her, but Izumi rolled to the side just before the blade hit he ground. Rolling to her feet, Izumi struck both her hands out, releasing a large torrent of fire, but Jaya jumped over it and charged.

Jaya was easily outmaneuvering Izumi. She was trained fighter. Izumi couldn't win this.

"S-Somebody!" Izumi cried out, barely avoiding the ceaseless assaults. "Somebody HELP!"

That's when Jaya clipped her cheek, knocking Izumi off balance. Jaya practically tackled her to the ground, straddling the princess' hips so she couldn't get away.

Izumi stared up, breathless, and hardly able to recognize her personal aid of five years. One hand pinning Izumi down, the other poised to strike, Jaya's expression was one twisted with a rage Izumi had never before seen. But the rage was marred by tears that stained reddened cheeks.

Izumi knew. She was going to die. Jaya was going to kill her for a reason she'll never know.

Her voice hallow, Jaya breathed, "For my mother."

A deafening roar and a blur of red. And then nothing.

Izumi stared at the ceiling, her body unable to move despite no longer being pinned. Something just happened. She was sure of it. Her eyes had seen _something_ occur. The fact that Jaya was no longer on top of her had to _mean_ something.

Then her senses slammed back into gear, making Izumi gasp and cough for air. She was trembling violently as if she were caught in a snowstorm. She clutched her arms to her chest, trying to calm her frantically pounding heart. There was a dull ringing in her ears, but it wasn't enough to block out a familiar low rumble.

With more effort than it should have taken, Izumi rolled to her side. She couldn't see Jaya, only Druk's long twisted body. He was facing away from her, his tail twitching from side. He was agitated. Why would he be agitated? What was he doing in her room? How did he get _in_ her room?

She wasn't thinking straight. Curling on the ground, she closed her eyes and tried to catch her breath. The cold floor against her forehead was soothing, slowly leeching out her raw nerves.

When she heard the familiar rumble again, she opened her eyes to find Druk had curled around her, one of his wings draped protectively over her. She placed a hand against his warm, solid body. It expanded and constricted slowly with his breathing, calming her own stuttered breath. Closing her eyes, she focused on the the motion, the sensations of Druk's living body. There were the different vibrations and tremors as he growled and snarled for reasons beyond her. The slow, almost sluggish, thumping of his heart resonated through her own body.

"-zumi…! Izumi!"

Her father's voice. It was the only voice that could break through her tenuous calm.

Druk had slightly uncurled his body and lifted his wing. When she felt a hand on her shoulder, Izumi looked up to see her father. His eyes were wide and frantic, his breathing quicker than normal. He brushed his knuckles against her lower cheek. "Are you okay?! What happened?!"

"I-I'm okay…" She tried to sit up, but it was difficult with her limbs still shaking. Zuko helped her, placing an arm across her back to support her. "Jaya t-tried t-t-to…" Her voice got caught in her throat. "J-Ja-ya…"

"Shh… It's okay." Zuko wrapped his arms around her, squeezing her with all his might. His voice was strained, but strong. "You're okay now. It's over."

Izumi gripped her father tightly, burying her face into the crook of his neck. Nestling into his arms, she soaked in his presence by breathing in his warmth and scent and allowing it to disperse through her body. She was still trembling, her heart fluttering, and her mind surprisingly blank. But it was okay.

Her father was here now. She was safe.

* * *

**So what do you all think? Review and let me know. All criticisms welcome.**


	4. Chapter 3

**Hey all!**

**There's more fluff in this chapter than I anticipated. I don't think you guys will mind ;)**

**Enjoy Chapter 3!**

* * *

Jaya was dead. When Druk had flown in (through Izumi's open bay window) and tackled her, he had dug his claws through her throat and chest. A quick, if gruesome, death. Izumi had tried to glance at the body, but Zuko had quickly led her away to the infirmary. Once the healers had looked her over, she almost immediately fell asleep in the infirmary wing.

The next morning, she awoke to find that her father had stayed by her during the night. As had Druk, whose head was currently resting next to her on the bed as Zuko yelled at Yinzo, the man in charge of hiring and managing the palace staff.

"Your Highness, I assure you that my people are taking every measure to - "

"And why weren't these measures taken _before_ my daughter was attacked in her own bedroom!?" Zuko was using his height to face down the hapless man, his face red with rage.

"W-Well we did, but there are over a hundred people under our employ and - "

"Enough of your excuses! Have you become so lax in your duties that you let an _assassin_ into my home!?"

"All of Jaya's papers checked out!" Yinzo blurted, shaking under the Fire Lord's gaze. "And n-nothing turned up when we investigated her background!"

"That's not good enough!"

"Father!" Izumi cut in. "Stop blaming Yinzo. Considering how much of the world wants to kill us, you should impressed that in all of these years only _one_ person managed to slip by him!"

Zuko's shoulders relaxed slightly, and Yinzo gave her a grateful look. Zuko was still furious, but he didn't look as though he were about to grab someone and squeeze the life out of them anymore. "Of course. I know that Yinzo has done a fantastic job considering… But that still doesn't excuse this incident!"

"I'm _fine_," Izumi stressed. "It might have been a close call, but I'm not even badly hurt!"

Zuko glared skeptically at his daughter and bandage taped to her cheek, as if that was all the rebuttal he needed.

During and immediately after the attack, Izumi had hardly noticed the wound. She had felt it split open in the moment when Jaya sliced her, but it had been immediately forgotten. It wasn't until Zuko had repeatedly asked if she was alright that she realized her face was covered in blood. Even then, she didn't think it was anything more than a scratch until the healers had started stitching her face back together. That's when she became aware of the pain.

A healer had just applied a new salve with herbs to numb the pain, so it wasn't too difficult to talk at the moment. There was just a tightness across her face when she moved her mouth. This was good, since apparently she needed to reign in her father. "Yinzo has already started to question everyone in the palace and organize another round of background checks. He's doing everything he can. You can't ask more of him."

Zuko maintained his gaze with Izumi for a moment before reluctantly closing his eyes. "You're dismissed, Yinzo."

Yinzo bowed and quickly left before the Fire Lord could change his mind. With a tired sigh, Zuko addressed the healer. "How is she?"

"It doesn't seem to be infected. As long as the princess doesn't move it too much, we can remove the stitches in a few days."

"Good." He turned to Izumi. "How are you feeling?"

"It feels a little weird, but doesn't hurt."

Zuko seemed unconvinced, but gave the healer a quick nod to dismiss her before speaking. "How are _you_ feeling?"

"Oh." Her grip on Druk's mane tightened. "I'm a bit tired, but otherwise I'm okay."

Now that they were alone, the anger in Zuko's expression had melted away, revealing the agitated concern that had been underneath. He sat down on the other side of Izumi and wrapped an arm around her, a hand on her shoulder. "You don't need put on a brave face for me."

"Father, this isn't the first time someone has attacked me."

Zuko pursed his lips. "No. But this is closest anyone has gotten. Izumi, there's no way you are just _okay_. And that's alright. There's nothing wrong with being jumpy or nervous after someone's tried to _kill_ you."

Izumi sighed, hating her stuttered breath that gave it all away. "I know… I just don't want you to worry."

He squeezed her shoulder. "I'm your father. I would be worrying about you anyway. It _would_ make me feel better to know you're not bottling things up inside."

"I'm not bottling," she said indignantly. Feeling a headache starting to form, she pressed the heel of her palm against her temple. "I think I'm still just processing it. In a way, it doesn't feel like it even happened."

"I know what you mean. Sometimes I think back and can't believe all those times I was attacked in the early years. There was a month where I had _nine_ close calls. It's hard to imagine now."

"But you were fine. You didn't get seriously hurt or killed. And neither did I." She didn't know if she was trying to comfort her father or herself.

Zuko pulled her closer, and Izumi leaned into his side, resting her head on his shoulder. Something about the embrace seemed to help brush away the pinpricks of pain in her head. Breathing deeply, she relaxed against his body, tremors she hadn't been aware of slowly dissipating.

At some point she had fallen back asleep. When she woke up again, her father was sitting next to the bed, studying something on the small table. "How long was I asleep?"

He jumped a little, but quickly recovered. "Not long. Just a couple hours."

Izumi looked at the scrolls that were laid out. There was a map of the Western Coast of the Earth Kingdom, different lines and scribbles painted onto it, along with what appeared to be a long scroll of Fire Nation names.

She suddenly sat up. "Shouldn't you be working with your advisers?!"

Zuko waved her off. "I don't need to handhold my advisers every step of the way."

"But Kuei and Aang are going to be here in a few days! Don't you have to have your proposal for the borders, the process and list of those changing citizenship, _and_ organize the negotiation schedule for the next month? You can't do all of that by yourself!"

"Izumi… I can take it easy for _one_ day."

"Do your advisers think so?"

Zuko groaned. "No, but they're overbearing, overworking little - "

"Father, you don't need to stay with me," she insisted. "It's not like your presence will make my cut heal faster. That'll just take time." She looked out the window. "I should be going to the Academy anyway so I don't - "

"Absolutely not!" Zuko cut in. "You will stay in the palace and _rest_. Don't worry about your studies. I'm sure your teachers will understand."

Izumi groaned. Just what she needed: her teachers giving the _princess_ special treatment. She tried not to think about it. "Regardless, you shouldn't be here. I'm fine, Father; I really am. You've made it very clear in the last few months that you hardly have any time to spare. Now that you're reaching the end, I'm certain that's even _more_ true. If you want to complete everything in time, you need to be working efficiently as possible. That means you need to be working with your advisers, not sitting in the infirmary while I sleep."

His eyes slightly wide, Zuko seemed a little taken back. After a moment of silence, he seemed a little resigned. "Izumi, it's fine if you want me to leave."

Why did this have to be so difficult? "I don't _want_ you to leave. I'm just pointing out _why_ you should be spending your time working with your advisers. We'll have time to ourselves once Grandfather gets here. And even more after the commencement. It's better to work now and have time later."

Zuko smiled. "I suppose you're right." He looked down at his scrolls, nudging them away. "Working with Ezam on these would probably be less mind-numbing at the very least…"

Izumi slid off the bed and wrapped her arms around her father's neck. "One more month."

Zuko wrapped an arm around her, letting out a long sigh. "I know."

When she let go and sat back on the bed, Zuko marked his place and gathered all of things. "I really _do_ want you to be resting. Don't got sneaking off to do homework or training."

"I won't," she promised. "Although I assume I _am_ allowed to read?"

"Of course." Tucking everything under his arm, Zuko placed a hand on her shoulder. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"_Yes_. Now go work."

"Alright, alright…" He lightly kissed her forehead. "I'll see you later."

She nodded. "Later."

* * *

Izumi tried to stay in bed and rest as her father envisioned, but without his presence to distract her, she found herself re-playing the attack over and over in her head. Although there wasn't much of the actual fight that she could remember. It was mostly just snapshots.

Jaya had entered Izumi's room, her face pleasantly neutral as always. There had been nothing to indicate what she had been about to do. Not until she struck. Between that moment and when she had been pinned to the ground, Izumi knew that she had struggled to evade Jaya and that she had called for help. But she didn't actually _remember_ any of it.

And then there had been that _look_; that horrible twisted expression that had made Jaya unrecognizable.

Five years. Jaya had worked for Izumi for five years, making her bed, helping her bathe, doing her hair (and make-up if need be)... and Izumi had never had the slightest inkling.

Much like the day before, Izumi was running through the last five years, trying to remember if there were any signs she missed, any small indications that might have tipped her off that Jaya was capable of killing her. However, unlike with her friends, Izumi looked back and saw nothing. She couldn't remember Jaya ever being even the slightest bit hostile toward her or her father. Jaya never tried to make small suggestions about policy or comment on how the Fire Lord was running the nation. She never even got annoyed when Izumi asked her for assistance outside of what was strictly in her job description.

Of course, Izumi hadn't really spoken to Jaya that much. They conversed almost daily, but it was usually about the most mundane of things: the current affairs of the country and the world, Izumi's school, which braids were easier than others… They almost never spoke of anything remotely personal. When she had been twelve, Izumi had asked if Jaya had any children. She had said no, that she wasn't married.

Izumi curled onto her side, staring at the chair her father had previously been sitting in. A wave of relief washed over her at the realization that Jaya had no immediate family. It was a horrible thought: the idea of going to inform children that their mother had been mauled by a dragon.

It was all surreal. If it wasn't for the bandage over her cheek, Izumi would have doubted it had even happened. _Why_ had Jaya tried to kill her? Why did she wait five years? Certainly it would have been easier to kill a ten year old?

_For my mother!_

Her thoughts were a jumble and she didn't like it. In fact, it made her feel irritable and restless on top of feeling sad and confused.

She couldn't just sit here and 'rest'. She needed to _do_ something.

Getting out of bed, Izumi started to dress. She may have promised her father that she wouldn't train or do homework, but that didn't mean she had to stay confined to the infirmary.

Twenty minutes later, she was standing in front of Yinzo's office, lightly knocking on his door. "Yinzo? It's Izumi."

There was some hurried scurrying and a loud thump before the door was flung open, revealing a very frazzled looking man. "Princess! H-How may I help you?"

Izumi peered around him, noticing the piles and piles of scattered scrolls and brushes. "I… wanted to ask if I could look at Jaya's file."

Yinzo fell a little somber and nodded. "Of course. There isn't much to see, though. No husband or children to speak of, no indications of any activities with the New Ozai Society or the Terran Resistance… she lived a quiet life before coming to work here at the palace."

As he dug through his piles, Izumi stepped into his office, a little alarmed at how widespread the mess was. Yinzo was usually such an orderly man.

"I wanted to thank you for earlier," Yinzo said. "I thought the Fire Lord was going to flay me alive…"

"I know my father can be a bit scary…" Izumi said, "But I don't think he was even going to fire you, let alone punish you."

Yinzo gave a small nervous laugh. "I think you underestimate your father's… erm... _protective_ nature."

"Trust me; I don't."

"Hmm. I suppose you wouldn't... Ah! Here it is." He held up a bundle of scrolls. "Jaya's background check, interview, and history."

Izumi took the offered scrolls. "Thank you, Yinzo. Also, if you don't mind me asking, how's the investigation going?"

"You mean double checking the backgrounds and activities of _every_ servant in the palace?" Yinzo sighed. "It'll probably take me at least two weeks. Hopefully, there won't be any flags on anyone's report. I'm afraid it'll also take me a while to find you a new personal aid..."

"Don't worry about that. People dress and bathe themselves all the time." Izumi looked down at the scrolls. They were held by a golden ribbon where Jaya's name was neatly painted.

This is what was left of Jaya: a few dusty scrolls. Not even children to carry on her legacy. It made Izumi feel a little ill.

"Are you alright, Princess?"

She took a deep breath, willing the sick feeling away. "Yes, I'm fine." She gave a slight bow. "Thank you, Yinzo."

"Of course. It's my pleasure, Your Highness."

She was about to walk out, but then paused. "Don't tell my father I was here."

Yinzo looked surprise. "May I ask why?"

"As you said… my father's protective. I won't ask you to lie to him, just don't tell him if he doesn't ask."

Yinzo nodded. "As you wish."

Walking away from Yinzo's office, Izumi started to untie the ribbon. There were three scrolls, and they _were_ quite small. Sliding two of the scrolls and the ribbon into her sleeve, she unrolled the third. It was Jaya's history. As Yinzo had suggested, there wasn't much there. She had lived in the Futsuken Province until she was twenty, then moved to the capital. She began working at the palace a year later.

The other scrolls didn't offer much either. Before working in the palace, she had unsteady work as a caretaker and a wet nurse. All of her previous employers seemed to like her, describing her as shy, but sharp. In her interview, Jaya had admitted that she was only looking for a steady job, expressing neither negative nor positive opinions about the Royal Family. Her father had died in the Earth Kingdom during the war, and her mother was still living in the Futsuken Province.

Izumi frowned. While nothing seemed incriminating, she found it strange that Jaya had no previous stance on the Royal Family. Izumi didn't think she had _ever_ met someone who didn't have _something_ to say about her family. But what was even more perplexing was the fact that Jaya's mother was currently living in Futsuken.

From the hatred and grief that Izumi had seen in Jaya's face, that didn't seem to be right. Why would Jaya want to kill Izumi if her mother was still alive? Why did she look so devastated?

Perhaps Jaya's mother had died recently, and her records hadn't been updated. But if it was recent, why would Jaya blame Izumi? What could Izumi or her father have done that could have possibly caused her mother's presumptive demise?

Izumi squeezed the scroll in her hand. She had research to do.

* * *

There was an exited buzz throughout the palace as everyone prepared for the arrival of King Kuei and Avatar Aang. Most of them had never seen the Avatar in person before and none of them had ever seen the Earth King. One would never guess that they worked for one of the most powerful families in the world, their excitement for other celebrities was so palpable.

Izumi had tried to put her hair up in an attempt to look presentable. However, after an hour of struggling with all the pins, clips, and ribbons, she decided that leaving her hair loose with her normal top knot would be best. Especially compared to the shrewrat nest she had managed to create. Then, after putting on a formal but simple dress, she stared at her make-up for about minute before deciding to not even try.

She headed to the main gate, where she was supposed to meet with her father and await for their guests' arrivals. King Kuei was coming with his delegation (and a woman rumoured to be his fiance) via ship. Captain Sun and other members of the Imperial Guard were to escort them from the port to the palace. Avatar Aang and his family were coming with Appa and were expected to come straight to the courtyard behind the main gate. Of course, Izumi was most excited about seeing her grandfather. Between the stress the ongoing negotiations were causing Zuko, the recent assassination attempt, and all of the problems Izumi was having at school, it was going to be nice to have Iroh's ever-patient and understanding presence.

Izumi was almost at the courtyard when she passed the entrance to one of the smaller side gardens. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed something large and red. Upon a second glance, she saw Druk curled up in the corner of the garden, her father sitting next to the pond. "Aren't you supposed to be at the main gate?"

Zuko looked up and smiled when he saw who it was. "I've been told that there was a storm. Appa managed to mostly avoid it, but they're going to be about an hour or so later than expected. Kuei's ship won't be here until the morning."

"Oh." When Izumi walked in, Druk raised his head minutely and acknowledged her with a small rumble before continuing his nap. Standing next to her father, she asked, "Is everyone okay?"

"Everyone's fine. It wasn't that bad of a storm." Zuko patted the ground next to him. "Why don't you sit down? I'm just taking a breather before falling head-first into these next three weeks."

Izumi took her father's offer, watching the adolescent turtleducks play in the pond. "You really like this garden, don't you?"

"What do you mean?"

Izumi shrugged. "I never thought about it before, but whenever you're stressed or want to relax, you always come here. All of the palace gardens have their own beauty and charm, but you don't seem to go to other ones."

"I suppose that's true." He pulled out a small package from his tunic and unwrapped it to reveal several chunks of bread. Without prompt, Izumi took half of them, making Zuko smile. "It's been a while since we've done this…"

Izumi nodded. It _had_ been a while. They used to feed the turtleducks quite often when she was little. Every week, they would spend an afternoon in this garden, doing everything from playing hide and explode to reading in the shade of the tree. Her father had been busy, even back then, but they always had that one afternoon to themselves. Izumi tried to remember when they had stopped, but couldn't picture a specific time.

Izumi tore off pieces of bread and tossed them into the pond, smiling when the turtleducks excitedly converged upon them. She supposed their weekly escapades had tapered off after she started going to the Academy.

Tossing the rest of the crumbs, Zuko sighed and turned to look at his daughter. "How have you been feeling?"

"I've been fine. Busy, trying to stay on top of all my homework."

Zuko scoffed. "You only missed _two_ days of school. You can't be that far behind."

"I'm not behind. I'm just not where I want to be."

With a small sigh, Zuko placed a hand on her leg. "You know, it's alright to take it easy every once and a while. School is important and all, but you shouldn't be working yourself into the ground."

"I'm not… I _like_ doing homework. As weird as it is, it helps me relax." _Most of the time._

"Yes, you've always been like that." He gave her leg a quick squeeze. "I still worry."

Izumi shook her head. "You have nothing to worry about. I'm fine."

"I know, I know, but I'm your father. I can't help but worry."

"Well, _I'm_ not the one who stays up all night working."

Zuko blushed slightly. "The moment _you_ have your own advisers working you to the bone... let me know so I can fire them."

Izumi glared at her father, wondering if she should point out the hypocrisy of his statement. Deciding to let it go, she leaned against her father with a sigh. "Besides, I haven't _just_ been doing homework."

"Oh? What else have you been working on?"

Izumi bit her bottom lip. "I… I know why Jaya wanted to kill me."

She heard his breathing catch as his body stiffened. Druk must have sensed something, because he raised his head to look at them. The moment hung sordidly in the air.

Then, Zuko quietly asked, "Why did she want to kill you?"

Izumi sat up straight, feeling more comfortable explaining everything to him in a more factual manner. "Jaya is from the Futsuken Province. More specifically, she's from a small fishing village called Jang Hui, which lies in the middle of the Ogawa River. Toward the end of the war, Ozai established a factory that heavily polluted the river and wreaked havoc on the village. Aang and the others actually stopped the factory and cleaned the river before the war ended, but there were some long term effects. Many of the villagers were permanently ill, including Jaya's mother."

"That's why she tried to kill _you_? Because _Ozai_ poisoned her mother?"

Izumi tried to ignore the fury that laced his voice. "Captain Sun let me look at some of Jaya's personal belongings. There was a box of letters. They were mostly between Jaya and her mother, but the most recent was a letter from someone else in her village, informing her that her mother had just died."

Zuko's breathing was a little too controlled, his anger rolling off him in waves. Wiping a hand over his face, he let out a noise of frustration. "I don't understand these people…" he said more to himself than to Izumi. "You weren't even _born_ yet…"

"Jaya had received that letter only hours before she tried to attack me," Izumi offered quietly. "I think she acted more out of grief than reason. The shock most likely - "

Her father yanked her into his arms, cutting her off. "Stop, Izumi. Just… stop."

He was squeezing her so hard it almost hurt to breathe. Did she upset him? What had she said? "I-I'm sorry… I-I didn't mean to…"

"It doesn't matter," he whispered. "You're safe now. That's all that matters now, is that you're safe..."

Izumi had never seen her father so shaken before. It was unsettling to say the least. Was it just left over from the attack? Or had she said something to trigger this? She felt a little ill at the thought. Quivering in his arms, she wished he would go back to being angry. It was easier to handle. Slowly squirming through his tight grip, she managed to wrap her arms around his chest. _Please don't be upset._ Tears were forming in her eyes and she wasn't quite sure why. _I'm sorry if I made you upset. You don't need to be upset. I'm here, and I'm safe._

Slowly, Zuko loosened his grip, but he didn't let go. With a shaky sigh, he brought up a hand and placed it on the back of Izumi's neck. "I love you, Izumi. Never forget that."

Izumi brought up a hand and wrapped it around his wrist. _Of course I won't._ "I love you too, Father."

* * *

**Criticisms of all kinds welcome as always. **


	5. Chapter 4

**Hey all!**

**Ugh, being sick is the worst. However, I was finally able to finish up the next chapter :)**

**Enjoy Chapter 4!**

* * *

The first indication that Appa was close was when Druk suddenly raised his head to sniff the air. A moment later, he stood and launched himself into the sky. As she watched the red sliver disappear into the distance, Izumi felt excitement bubbling up inside of her. She grabbed her father's hand and stood. "Ready?"

He stood with a small sigh. "As ready as I'll ever be."

It was only a couple of minutes later that Appa and Druk descended upon them in the courtyard. Once they landed, Aang flashed a bright smile. "Hey Zuko. Hey Izumi."

"Ugh, finally!" Twelve-year-old Bumi climbed over the saddle and slid off down Appa's side. "If I had to stay on there for one more minute, I would have gone insane…"

Iroh sighed as he disembarked via the more gentle route down Appa's tail. "Sometimes I wonder if tea brewing really is a dying art…" When he hit the ground, he saw Izumi and smiled with open arms. "Izumi…"

Izumi's cheek was getting sore from the strain of her smile, but she couldn't help it. Izumi ran up into his welcoming arms. "It's so good to see you, Grandfather."

"Let me take a look at you..." Iroh held her out at arms length, smiling warmly. "Ah, you're getting more beautiful by the year."

Izumi felt herself blush, unused to such open flattery, even though it wasn't unusual coming from her grandfather. "Th-thanks..."

Aang jumped down from Appa, gently landing with a swirl of air. Five-year-old Kya was nestled in his arms, fast asleep. "I don't suppose you already have rooms ready for us?" he asked. "Kya hasn't been sleeping well lately, so I want to take advantage of this."

"Sure," Zuko said. "We'll walk you there."

After he was unloaded, Appa followed Druk to the special stables that were made especially for large animals. Everyone's luggage was sorted - servants taking Iroh's things to his regular room - before Zuko led everyone to the guest wing where Aang and his kids would be staying. Zuko and Aang indulged in some quite small talk while Bumi trailed behind them, bitter about having to carry his and Kya's bags. Izumi and Iroh followed as she asked Iroh about the Jasmine Dragon.

"Father says your bubble tea is becoming popular."

"Yes, it seems Ba Sing Se is finally starting to recognize my genius! It has been a bumpy twenty years… thank goodness my other teas are popular on their own right."

"Grandfather, I don't think there is a single person on this earth that could make better than tea than you."

"Aw, that's very sweet of you…"

"I'm not flattering you, Grandfather."

Iroh chuckled. "No, you never have been one to flatter."

When they arrived at Aang and his kids' rooms, they all dropped of their luggage while Aang tucked Kya into bed. When he came back out, Zuko asked, "Where _is_ Katara? I thought she was coming too."

"Oh… She hasn't been feeling well lately. I brought the kids to give her a break while she rests."

"Is she alright?"

"Yeah, it's nothing serious. We just decided it would be better if she stayed home."

"I'm sorry to hear that. It's been a while since we've seen her last. I was also kind of hoping she could take a look at Izumi's wound…"

Aang turned to Izumi and frowned at the bandage on her face. "What happened? Are you alright?"

Izumi's eyes widened slightly as she looked between Aang and her grandfather. "You guys… You guys don't know?"

A somber look could barely be discerned from her grandfather's expression. He either knew or had an accurate estimation. Aang, on the other hand, clearly had no clue what she could possibly be referring to. "Don't know what?" he asked. "Did you have an accident?"

Izumi reflexively placed a hand over her bandage. "No… I-I was attacked."

"_Attacked_?" Aang echoed. "By who? When did this happen? Are you alright?"

"I'm _fine_," Izumi stressed.

"She needed ten stitches," Zuko said, anger underlying his voice.

"Which the healers think can come out tomorrow," Izumi pointed out.

"Her… personal aid attacked her a few nights ago," Zuko went on. "Her mother had died as a result of one of Ozai's policies."

"Oh man…" Aang turned to Izumi. "But you're alright?"

She nearly rolled her eyes, tired of repeating herself. "_Yes_."

Aang's shoulders relaxed. "I'm glad." He turned back to Zuko. "That's good."

"It shouldn't have happened in the first place," Zuko growled.

"But it did," Aang said. "And Izumi's not that hurt."

Izumi was starting to feel very uncomfortable. "Let's grab dinner," she cut in, pointedly raising her voice. "The dining hall should be ready by now."

"_Finally_," Bumi said. "I'm starving. And dad said I could eat meat here if I want!"

"Really?" Izumi said, placing a hand on his back and nudging him toward the dining hall. "That's good. The chef prepared enough food to feed Kuei's delegation, but since they're not arriving until tomorrow, there will be _plenty_ for you to eat."

"Awesome! I'm going to eat until I'm sick!"

"I don't think being sick should be a goal…"

She didn't turn around to see if the adults were following. All she wanted was to get away from the direction that conversation had been going. If they wanted argue semantics and parenting, they could do it on their own.

She hated hearing her father talking about her. She didn't know why. She didn't mind when people talked _over_ her or spoke as if she wasn't there. In fact, she preferred being in the background. But when it was her father… it just made her feel anxious.

It really made no sense, and it bothered her that she couldn't figure out an exact cause for the anxiety. However, in the absence of a reasonable explanation, all she could do was to try and avoid these situations altogether.

Dinner was pleasantly stressless. The first part of dinner was mostly filled with small talk. As the evening wore on, this dissolved into more serious discussions. Aang and Zuko discussed the negotiations, King Kuei, and the commencement. Despite his earlier declarations, Bumi had merely eaten himself into a stupor, half listening to his father and Zuko, half dozing. Meanwhile, Iroh was asking Izumi about every facet of her life. "And how is everything at the Academy?"

"Everything is… good. I'm a little behind in my bending. Well, _really_ behind on my bending…"

"I'm sure you're not _that_ behind."

"I just passed Luohan Quan."

Iroh looked mildly surprised, but smiled. "All that means is that your strength is not in fighting. I can't say I'm disappointed. Despite the few - very understandable - outbursts you had when you were young, you have always been more level-headed than your peers. Your strength lies in your intelligence and patience."

Izumi frowned. "I wouldn't describe myself as patient. In fact, I would say that I'm the opposite."

"You hold yourself to _very_ high standards. You may not see it, but you _are_ very patient for your age. You always have been. When was the last time you demanded someone to do something for you?"

"I mean, I ask Ja… I often ask servants for help."

"Yes, you _ask_. Trust me, you're the most patient member of royalty to have graced this earth. Even when _I_ was your age, I could be a bit demanding."

Izumi smirked. "Let me guess: your servants didn't brew your tea quite to your liking."

Iroh cringed. "If only. I didn't really have much… interest in tea when I was younger."

"You? Not interested in _tea_?"

"I have had a long life, Izumi. Long enough to go through many terrible phases of ignorance."

She giggled. "You'll have to tell me about those phases sometime. It's hard to imagine what kind of person you were. Especially since you never talk about it."

He had a sad smile. "I hardly recognize the person I used to be... And there was a time when it would have caused me great shame to even speak about that person. You know you have grown _truly_ old when nothing seems to shame you anymore." His smile widened. "I'd love to tell you whatever stories you might want to hear. But not tonight. It has been a long day and my back wasn't terribly pleased with Appa's accommodations."

"Oh, of course!" Izumi said. "Maybe tomorrow, after I come back from the Academy." She looked over at her father, who was still conversing seriously with Aang, before returning her gaze to her grandfather. "I can walk you back to your room if you want."

"I would be delighted."

As they got up, Izumi tapped Bumi's shoulder. "Do you want to go back to your room?"

Bumi gave his father a dull glance before nodding. "Sure." He pointed at the plates of food. "Can I take stuff back for Kya?"

"Of course you can. We can have someone bring a plate back for her."

"No, I got it."

Aang noticed Bumi dumping sizable portions of food on his plate.. "Bumi, don't tell me you're _still_ hungry."

"No, it's for Kya."

Aang looked at the darkness outside the window. "Wow, I didn't realize it was so late!" He stood, placing a hand on Bumi's shoulder. "We should go check on Kya."

Bumi shrugged him off. "I'm not kid. You don't need to _lead_ me."

Aang held his arms up defensively. "I know, I know…" He flashed a smile at the others as they walked out. "Night, guys."

When Aang and Bumi rounded the corner, Zuko turned to Izumi and Iroh with a sigh. "I shouldn't be this exhausted… I hardly worked today."

"You just spent two hours discussing the negotiations with Aang," Izumi pointed out. "You _were_ working."

He shook his head. "Three more weeks… three more hellish weeks…"

Iroh gently placed a hand on Zuko's arm and led him towards their rooms. "You, my dear nephew, have never quite mastered the art of relaxation. Let's go have a enjoy a nice pot of jasmine tea before going to bed."

"I can relax," Zuko replied petulantly. "And I can't go to sleep yet. I need to - "

"It can wait until the morning," Iroh insisted, tightening the grip on Zuko's arm. "Driving yourself into exhaustion isn't going to help anyone."

Izumi trailed behind them with a small smile, enjoying their antics. The lines of tension that had lined her body were slowly fading, making it a little easier to breathe.

There were three weeks left, but she had high hopes that her grandfather's presence would make the meantime much more pleasant.

* * *

Izumi had not forgotten about how her friends were not exactly… her friends. But in the wake of the attempted assassination, it had become wholly insignificant. The arrival of all of the palace's guests had also served as a temporary distraction. However, now that she was regularly attending the Academy again, she needed to make some decisions.

Had she not been distracted by the assassination, Izumi probably would have confronted her friends the very next day. However, as it was, she had been completely unprepared for the outpouring of concern they had all expressed when they saw her again. Quietly answering all their questions, she had felt a little sick, unable to shake the feeling that most of their words were probably disingenuous.

She couldn't keep ignoring it. Every time she saw them, there were horrid waves of nausea. It just wasn't sustainable. So the day after King Kueis delegation arrived, she decided that she would confront them. She tried to think of the least stress-inducing way of bringing up the conversation, but realized relatively high levels of anxiety were simply inevitable.

They were doing homework. A very normal activity for them to engage in. It was arithmetic. Basic trigonometry. Quan was really the only one who was struggling, though that was largely due to the fact that he was resisting learning the basics. "It's not just about triangles: these solutions are derived from the unit circle…"

"I don't care what these things _mean_," Quan said. "I just want to get the answers."

"I'm trying to show you _how_ to get the answers," Izumi stressed. "You've tried memorizing the chart I gave you, but that doesn't seem to work. If you understand what's going on, you can derive all your answers _without_ having to memorize them."

Quan slumped in his chair with a disgusted sigh. "More work…" he mumbled. "What's _with_ you anyway?"

Izumi stiffened. "What do you mean?"

"Usually you just happily say all the answers without a care in the world. But now it's like you're just trying to make it harder for us."

"Wan and Reiko don't need me to tell them the answers," she pointed out.

"He has a point…" Wan said, jumping into the conversation. "It's been kind of weird. All of the sudden, you've been kind of cagey about the answers. It's not just arithmetic; It's _everything_ we study."

Izumi nodded, folding her hands into her lap. "Well… I guess I didn't want to just _give_ you the answers. There's no point in getting good grades if you don't know anything."

"What, now you're calling us stupid?" Quan asked.

"She's _not_ calling us stupid," Reiko cut in. "Izumi has a point: Giving us all the answers now isn't going to help us in the long run."

Quan rolled his eyes and muttered under this breath, "Useless cowpig…"

Izumi didn't know if it was directed at her or Reiko, but a surge of that fiery liquid rose up in her chest. Suddenly standing, she placed her hands firmly on the table in front of her. "I'm sorry, Quan," she said, her voice strained and clipped. "I know giving you all the answers was the _one_ reason you were my friend. Maybe it's just time that our friendship come to an end."

A dead silence fell upon the group. Wan and Reiko looked shocked and horrified, and Quan just stared at her wide-eyed. Izumi herself was trembling, and she hoped it wasn't noticeable to the others.

Finally, Quan broke the silence. "You overheard us… didn't you?"

Izumi momentarily calmed, taken by surprise. Out of the three of them, she hadn't expected _Quan_ to be the perceptive one. But then her body tensed again. "Yes. I heard why each of you are my… my _friends_."

"Izumi…" Reiko said quietly, holding her hands up placatingly. "... it's not what you think."

"Really? So when you were wondering if your family's political standing was worth the _boredom_, what precisely did you mean?"

Reiko recoiled as if slapped. Normally, Izumi would have felt bad, but in this very moment, all she felt was this burning sensation that threatened to shake her apart.

"We were just j-joking around," Wan said shakily. "You know, joking about the 'perks' of being your friend..."

"Y-yeah…" Reiko said. "You're our friend, and you just happen to be the Fire Lord's daughter! Haha…"

Izumi was finding it difficult to breath. Did they actually think she was going to _believe_ this? They were putting up this half-mast attempt to salvage the shambling threads of their friendship, and for what? Because they had some vain hope that she would be _politically valuable_?

"You guys are pathetic," Quan said. "She _knows_, and nothing you can say is going to save this."

Reiko deflated. She looked disappointed. Not sad or upset that their friendship was over. Just… disappointed.

Wan sighed. "Well, now my father will stop pestering me…"

Izumi's entire body went numb. She had expected a fight, some yelling, some anger… Not this. Not this calm resignation. They've had all been friends for over two years, and _this_ was their reaction. They didn't look as though they had lost friend; just an opportunity.

She couldn't take it. She shoved her crumpled scrolls and dirty brushes into her bag, flung it over her shoulder, and marched out. As she made her way to the Academy's entrance, she couldn't decide which hurt more: walking away knowing that there was no going back... or the lack of any of their protests.

There were afternoon classes, but she couldn't go. She couldn't think. She couldn't _breathe_. She walked out of the Academy, straight past Kanan without a word.

"Your Highness?" Kanan came up from behind. "Is everything alright? You're classes aren't - "

"Don't talk to me," Izumi snapped.

Kanan's eyes widened. "Princess, what's wrong?" he asked, a sense of urgency in his voice.

"I'm fine. I just… just… need… to go home."

They spent the rest of the trip home in tense silence. Kanan hovered uncomfortably close as they walked, probably worried that Izumi was in some sort of danger. She didn't know how to make it clearer to him that there was no threat on her life - or anything else of the sort - so she didn't comment on it.

When they got to the palace, Kanan didn't leave to check in with the Head of the Guard as he usually does. Instead, he followed Izumi to her room, still hovering, if at a more comfortable distance. "Please stop following me," Izumi asked.

"I will. Once I'm sure you're alright."

"I told you: I'm fine." She threw her bag on her bed and then stood at the front of her desk, her back to Kanan. "I'm within the walls of the palace. I'm in no danger. I just need to be alone to think."

"Princess, I - "

"_Just leave!_"

She didn't turn around, but the lack of footsteps told her that he hadn't complied. Gripping the edge of her desk, she willed him to leave, to obey the very explicit order. After several long moments, she finally heard him turn to leave. But then something else occurred to her. "Don't tell my father," she commanded, her voice low and clear.

There was a pause. "Of course, Your Highness." Then there was the sound of a closing door, and then the slow decrescendo of Kanan's footsteps.

Slowly releasing her breath, Izumi released her iron grip on the desk, her shoulders falling as she relaxed. Slumping down into her chair, she buried her face in her hands, trying to quell her trembling.

This was unacceptable. She couldn't be falling apart. She had no reason to. Nothing her friends had said had been new or revealing. They simply confirmed what she already knew. She shouldn't be feeling this… much… _worse_.

Drawing in a deep breath, she pressed her palms firmly on top of her desk. She was going to work on homework. She was going to focus on geography, writing, mechanics, history, arithmetic… Focusing will make her feel better.

Decision made, she pulled out her scrolls and started to do her readings. She had already done all of them for the next week, but there was no reason she couldn't get started on the following week's readings as well. She had the time. Why not use it?

It wasn't long before there was a knock on her door. A little confused, Izumi said, "Who is it?"

"It's me," her grandfather's voice said. "May I come in?"

"Oh... Of course." Izumi put her scroll down, silently grateful her trembling had settled in the last half hour.

He walked in, smiling when he saw her. "I wanted to see how you were doing."

Izumi frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Well, as I understand it, you're home three hours early. Also, your guard, Kanan, told me you were quite distressed when he escorted you home."

Izumi closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose. _Yes, Kanan, technically you didn't tell my **father**…_ "I was just feeling a bit ill. I'm fine now. There's no need for you to worry."

"Are you sure? Perhaps you should see a healer."

"No. Really. I'm fine."

"Mmm…" He seemed contemplative. "Izumi… you can tell me anything."

Which was his way of saying that he knew she was hiding something. Izumi sighed. "I know… but really, it's nothing. I just…" Her stomach churned painfully. She wrapped an arm around her middle to calm it. "I'm fine," she repeated.

"You know, keeping your problems to yourself isn't very healthy for you."

"I'm aware."

"Good." Her grandfather sat down on her bed, patting the space next to him. "Now where do you want to begin?"

Coming from anyone else - including her father - this would have been annoying. Infuriating, even. But coming from her grandfather, Izumi could only give a small smile. "Have you always been this persistent?"

He returned her smile. "In some ways, yes. Though there may have been times where I should have been a _bit_ more persistent with your father…"

Izumi sat besides him, the tension slowly returning. She knew precisely where this was going. She was going to tell him everything. Just like she always did. However, there was _one_ thing she had to make sure of. "I'll talk to you under one condition, Grandfather…" She looked him in the eyes. "You can't tell Father."

He deflated slightly. "Izumi…"

"No. If you can't promise me that, then I won't tell you anything."

Her grandfather returned her gaze and was silent for a moment before slowly nodding. "Alright, Izumi. I promise I won't tell your father."

Izumi relaxed slightly. You couldn't get better than a promise from her grandfather. However, the anxiety and burning in her veins began to rise up again as she remembered what she was about to talk about. "Grandfather…"

"Yes?"

Izumi looked at him plaintively, her vision beginning to blur as her anxiety gripped her throat. But after a few swallows, she managed to say: "Do you think I'm boring?"

He looked genuinely shocked, then slightly angry. "Of course not! Where would you ever get an idea like that?"

When one thought about it, it wasn't dissimilar from an avalanche. The deluge of words that spilled out of her seemed unending. She wasn't paying attention to her word choice or censoring _any_ part of her story. There were a few tears, which she angrily wiped away. And in the end, she might have felt a _little_ better. Though she would argue that it was marginal.

"I appreciated that Quan didn't try to insult my intelligence by explaining away his actions… Reiko and Wan's attempt to salvage their royal connection was so much worse," she said bitterly.

Her grandfather sighed. "Unfortunately, this is very common for those in the Royal Family. I am sorry you've had to have such an experience."

"I know it's common," Izumi said, wringing her hands together. "In the past, I have always been able to see through to people's intentions. After that, it was just a simple matter of cutting off any attempts at fraternization. I just can't believe I didn't notice anything for _two years_. Am I really that blind? Am I that… desperate for friends that I subconsciously turned a blind eye?"

He placed a comforting hand on her back. "You are a wonderful human being, Izumi. An intelligent and kind young woman. It's not unusual for kids your age to have difficulty making friends. Your father didn't have any friend when he was your age."

"Father had been banished and was wandering the world in search for the Avatar when he was my age."

"Yes… but that's besides the point. He eventually made friends!"

"Father joined those who had once been his enemy because of a mutual goal. It was fighting together in the war that formed those friendships."

"…I think you're missing my point…"

She raised a playful eyebrow. "Are you saying I should get Father to banish me, travel the world in search for his greatest enemy, eventually _joining_ his enemy in an attempt to dethrone him?" A small frown formed. "I wonder if it would even be _possible_ to get Father to banish me..."

Iroh made a slight choking sound before clearing his throat. "... I think your father would sooner burn the _rest_ of face off before ever banishing you."

"Maybe… Though telling him Sokka was the better swordsman might work…"

He wasn't able to contain the bark of laughter this time. "Izumi… you have a terrible sense of humor."

She smiled. "You laughed, so it couldn't have been _that_ bad."

"That isn't what I meant by terrible…"

"Well, you're _not going to tell father_, so there's no harm done."

Her grandfather nodded, his expression sobering slightly. "I will respect your wishes, Izumi. But you should know, your father would _want_ to know. He loves you more than life itself. Zuko would never think of you as a burden, because you're not. You're his daughter, and he just wants what's best for you."

Izumi sighed. She knew, deep down, that her father would be upset that she was hiding these things from him. But at the same time, she also knew that he got distracted when he worried about her, and he couldn't afford to be distracted right now. "After the commencement," she finally said. "I promise… I'll tell him once everything is finalized."

Iroh seemed pleased with her response. "Good."

In a away, it was miraculous. A hour ago, Izumi wouldn't have thought _anything_ would be able to pull her from her despondency. Reading had been a distraction, nothing more. Even then, the anxiety that had gripped her limbs and the fire that burned in her chest hadn't calmed. Now, she was still upset, but it no longer felt as though her life was falling apart.

Standing in front of him, Izumi wrapped her arms around her grandfather's shoulders. "Thank you for listening…"

He returned the hug with a gentle squeeze. "Any time, Izumi. Any time…"

* * *

**Criticisms of all kinds welcome as always. **


	6. Chapter 5

**Hey all!**

**Best way to spend a snowstorm? _Finish the next goddamned chapter of your story!_**

**So here it is. **

**Enjoy Chapter 5!**

* * *

The next morning, Izumi told her father that she wouldn't be going back to the Academy for at least a few days. The reason she gave was that she wanted to spend more time with her grandfather. While this wasn't strictly a lie, the real reason was that Izumi couldn't stand the thought of being in the same classroom with her old 'friends'. She wanted to be sure she wouldn't panic or lose control at the sight of them before she resumed her classes.

Her father was completely supportive of the idea, noting that it would be good for her to take a break from schoolwork. That was really _all_ he was able to say during breakfast before having to run to yet another meeting.

"Father has always been busy…" Izumi said. "But this is ridiculous…"

"It is not dissimilar to _my_ father during the war," Iroh noted. "When I was young, he was rarely even in the Fire Nation. Even when he was, he was always in one war meeting or another. If it hadn't been for all of the statues and paintings, I probably would not have recognized him until my sixteenth year when I joined the army."

Izumi turned to her grandfather, her interest piqued. She had never heard him talk about his younger days before and was eager to learn more. "I take it you weren't… close with your father?"

He shook his head. "Not at first. However, that changed once I began participating in his military campaigns. As a military man, I was… quite accomplished."

That was an understatement. From what Izumi had read, the Crown Prince Iroh had been responsible for approximately a third of the Fire Nation's gains in the Earth Kingdom, not to mention he had commanded one of the most successful sieges against Ba Sing Se. Azulon had been a ruthless war mongerer, so it was no wonder that these successes would have endeared Iroh to his father.

None of this was new to Izumi. However, she still found the idea of him as a great war general to be slightly disconcerting. Especially since there was no detectable trace of that man left in her peaceful, tea-loving grandfather.

Well, there might be the _slightest_ trace left.

"Speaking of the military…" Izumi said, "... I mentioned a couple days ago that I'm a bit behind on my bending..."

"Yes, you did," her grandfather said. "And I had said that there was no shame in it. There is more to life than being a master bender. And you are a wonderfully talented young woman in so many other ways!"

Izumi sighed. "I know you and Father are just trying to comfort me, but I don't _want_ to be comforted. I want to _improve_. I don't like how badly I bend, and I don't like making excuses for myself by saying '_well, at least I'm **good** at other things_'. And yes, while we're not at war anymore, that doesn't mean we live in peace. I was attacked in my own room and nearly _killed_ because I'm a terrible fighter!"

"That…" He paused for a moment before sighing. "...is a very good point. But while you may simply have a _desire_ to improve, you should always keep in mind that people who struggle to fight aren't _deficient_."

"But I'm not just a person; I'm the crown princess of the Fire Nation. If I'm going to rule this nation one day, don't you think I need to learn as much as I can? _Including_ bending?"

Iroh looked taken back before his expression fell. His expression gained a faraway look and seemed to almost be staring right through her, as if he was recalling some painful memory.

"Grandfather…?" Izumi said, her chest tightening slightly with worry. "Are you alright?"

He closed eyes and shook his head. "My apologies. I was just taken off guard by your… conviction."

He still seemed a little lost in memory, but Izumi didn't address it in case it was memory her grandfather didn't wish to dwell on. "Father said that he was going to help with me after the commencement. However, in the meantime, I was wondering if _you_ could help me."

To Izumi's relief, her grandfather smiled, banishing his previously haunted look. "Of course, I would be delighted to help."

They walked to the training grounds after finishing their breakfast. Some of the Imperial Firebenders were practicing in the main area, so found a smaller arena to practice privately.

"Now, I don't believe I have ever actually seen you perform katas..." her grandfather said. "... so let's start with the basics." He sat crosslegged on the ground. "How is your breathing?"

Izumi sat across from him. "Good, as far as I know. My instructors don't focus much on our breathing, so it can be difficult to gauge."

Iroh nodded. "I am not surprised. It will take more than a couple decades to cast off the ghost of Azulon, including his style of firebending." He sat up straighter. "Now, let me see how you've been doing."

Over the next several minutes, Izumi sat in silence with her eyes closed. She slowed and evened out her breathing as she focused on the heat surrounding her. Her inner flame pulsated in time with her breathes, slowly increasing in intensity as the sun's warmth seeped into her body.

It wasn't until she felt a weight on her shoulder that she pulled herself out of that mental cocoon and opened her eyes to see her grandfather smiling. "Very good," he said. "Why don't you run through a few warm-ups?"

The next couple of hours proceeded methodically. Starting from the very bottom, Iroh asked her to demonstrate each and every kata and form. However, he never at any point offered any advice or criticism. Izumi found it a bit frustrating (and a little nerve wracking), especially since she _knew_ that her katas were sloppy and that she was making consistent mistakes. It was becoming increasingly difficult to focus on her movements when the voice in her head was constantly berating her. With her grandfather's attentive gaze upon her, she couldn't help but feel slightly embarrassed. If he had been offering advice throughout the morning, it would have broken the tension at least a _little_ bit.

Izumi eventually concluded that her grandfather was simply waiting until she had finished everything, that way he could assess her as a whole.

By the end, between the heat and the training, Izumi found herself was slumped on a bench and chugging water. After emptying the large glass, she leaned back and rested her head against the wall with a sigh. This was probably a sign that her endurance could use some improvement as well.

"You know…" Iroh said as he sat beside her, "... I don't think you are as '_behind_' as you believe you are."

Izumi frowned. "I don't follow."

"You may have only now begun the Advanced Set - which yes, this is a bit later than the average firebender - but your breath control is excellent and your rudimentary forms are flawless."

Izumi closed her eyes. "Yes, my instructors have said the same thing... which only makes this all the more _baffling_. The rudimentary forms are supposed to act as a baseline: the forms that I draw from in order to complete more complex katas. So why am I having so much difficulty when my rudimentaries are _fine_?"

"Because you are learning a much more difficult _version_ of firebending."

She raised an eyebrow. "That... doesn't make sense. I have the same instructors as everyone else," she stated.

"You may have the same instructors, but as you said earlier, they do not focus on breathing. They are still teaching Azulon's style of bending, but you grew up with your father, who knows that the traditional style of firebending isn't purely aggression and strength. It's about flow and precision…" He brought forth a flame to his hand. "... summoning your flame through your breath instead of the muscle." The flame waxed and waned rhythmically in demonstration.

Izumi mirrored him, summoning her own flame and watching it pulsate with her breathing. This was natural for her. While her father never formally taught her how to fight, he _did_ teach her about breathing and control (especially after one too many incidents at the Academy...). They would sit side by side - a candle in front of each of them - and he would coach her, teaching her to feel the flame and to calm herself though steady breathing and focus.

It's true that there was a dichotomy between how her father and how her instructors approached firebending. However, she never thought that dichotomy would effect her ability to bend. "So… you're saying I'm behind because I've been trying to learn two different types of firebending?"

"In a way, yes. Though, more specifically, I believe you are behind because you have not been taught what you are actually trying to learn."

A thick knot in Izumi's chest suddenly unraveled. She frowned as an unexpected wave of relief washed over her. Hadn't she already resigned herself to the fact that her bending was poor? While hearing that there was a reasonable explanation certainly made her happy, there wasn't a reason for her to feel so _relieved_.

Maybe she _hadn't_ been so accepting of her shortcomings. She clenched her fists against her thighs. Her recent decline of emotional control was starting to get very annoying.

"Your father actually had a similar problem," her grandfather went on. "He never quite took to Azulon's style. While he certainly had the appropriate temper, he was always more likely to adapt to his obstacles rather than push through them."

"He almost sounds like waterbender when you describe him like that." Izumi leaned forward and stared at the ground, observing the swirling patterns in the dirt. "Though you have always talked about how the four elements are more intertwined than we think they are..."

Her grandfather looked off into the distance with a small smile. "Yes… your father's lack of '_pure firebending_' attributes was why Ozai thought so poorly of him… and why he has become the powerful Fire Lord he is today."

Izumi sighed. "So what you're saying... is that I shouldn't be worrying so much about my bending."

He placed a hand on her shoulder. "You should respect your instructors and still do as they say, but I think you'll find that you will drastically improve once Zuko begins to guide you."

Three more weeks. Well, two weeks and three days to be precise. Either way, it was longer than Izumi was willing to wait. "But... you can help in the meantime, right?"

"I will, of course, give you any advice and guidance you ask for. But there's no _rush_, Izumi."

"I know… I just don't like doing nothing when I know I could be improving!"

He squeezed her shoulder. "I'm going to tell you what I told your father: _relax_. Don't push yourself into exhaustion while trying to reach your goal. Everything will come in its own time. And, if you're patient enough, you may learn something else along the way."

Izumi let out a small huff of amusement. "Something tells me that '_something else_' is going to be related to tea…"

Her grandfather's smile widened, an almost mischievous twinkle in his eye. "Only if you are lucky."

They conversed for the remainder of the morning until Izumi excused herself. "I hate to abandon you in the middle of the day, but the feeling of dried sweat and grit is becoming uncomfortable…"

"Do not worry about me, Izumi. You go wash up. I'll take this as an opportunity to visit the Imperial Firebenders. They expressed a keen interest in my bubble tea yesterday…"

When the servants saw Izumi approaching the baths, they all respectfully bowed and left. Normally, one of them who would set out towels and a robe while another would draw up hot water for a bath. However, after Jaya's attempted assassination, Izumi decided that she would rather do these things herself, so she had them show her where everything was and how to prepare the bath. Her first attempt was only successful in that she had been clean in the end. It had taken about twice as long as usual and was a bit… messier than it should have been. However, she eventually got the hang of it and was now nearly as proficient as the servants.

She was also slowly learning how to fix her hair in ways _other_ than the traditional top knot. Three days ago, she had finally mastered a generic braid: that is, she managed to braid her hair so that it wasn't askew or didn't have stray strands of hair poking out in all directions. Today, she was attempting to make a bun. Any bun. Any bun that could stay up for more than five minutes.

She spent more time trying to tie up that stupid bun than she did bathing.

Giving up with an exasperated sigh, she combed out the newly formed knots and let her hair hang freely. There weren't any formal events today. It would dry faster like this anyway.

After getting dressed, Izumi opened her bedroom door to find Kanan standing guard right outside. "Kanan? How long have you been there?"

"Only about ten minutes."

Izumi stepped out, closing the door behind her. "Is everything okay? Why didn't you knock?"

"Everything is fine, Princess. I've just been assigned to your permanent guard."

She raised an eyebrow. "'_Permanent guard_'? What permanent guard?"

"Under the Fire Lord's orders, you will have a guard with you at all times, even within the confines of the palace. The exceptions are private dinners, your bedroom, and the baths, though these rooms will still be guarded from the outside."

Izumi pinched the bridge of her nose with a groan. "You _must_ be kidding me…"

"I rarely kid with you, Your Highness. I know better than that."

"_Now_ my father thinks this is necessary? I would have understood if he had done this after Jaya attacked me... I still wouldn't have been _happy_ about it, but I would have _understood_. Why now?"

"Apparently there are threats on your life," Kanan said.

"There are _always_ threats on my life."

"Well, now there are more of them. And in light of the recent assassination attempt - not to mention the tensions that are rising as we approach the commencement - I imagine the Fire Lord doesn't want to take any chances."

"Ugh… Fine. _Fine_." She took a deep breath. "If this is what it takes to make Father feel better, then fine." She started walking down the hallway. "I'm going to see what Bumi and Kya are up to. I imagine they might be desperate for someone closer to their own age."

"Very well, Your Highness."

Izumi spoke to one of the servants who was tending to Bumi and Kya's room, and he told her that they were in the main gardens. On the way there, she glanced back at Kanan, who was only a couple strides behind her. "Who else is on the rotation?"

"Princess?"

"If I'm being guarded at all hours, you can't be the only one assigned to me."

"No. There are two others, Pamel and Shun."

"Pamel? She hasn't retired yet?"

Kanan chuckled. "Of course not. I imagine she'll be working until the day she dies."

"Dear Agni, I hope not. Pamel… I can't remember the last time I saw her."

"I see her every now and then. She always enjoys hearing about you. I think she still resents Yinzo for removing her as your personal guard."

Izumi was surprised to hear this. Most of her memories of Pamel consisted of the older woman _scolding_ her. She had always assumed that Pamel considered her to be a brat. Then again, she had only been five when Pamel had been reassigned, so her memories were probably a bit skewed. "I had no idea she felt so strongly about it..."

"Don't worry about it, Princess. Pamel is just happy she has the chance to serve as your guard once again."

The main gardens were massive, probably as large as the palace itself. It was split into three smaller sections, each of which had their own theme. The groundskeeper, Yu, had been given full freedom to manage and organize the gardens as he wished, and had always done a fantastic job. Right now, each section seemed to be based on each of the three other nations in anticipation for the twentieth anniversary.

Unsurprisingly, Izumi found Bumi and Kya amidst the bright blue and white flowers. Standing at the edge of a large pond, Kya was pushing the edge of the water back and forth while Bumi sat under a nearby tree and watched. "Can't you do anything more _interesting_…?"

"Mommy says this is good," Kya said proudly. "She wasn't this good when _she_ was little."

"I think Mom just said that to make you feel better…"

Kya looked up to glare at her brother when she saw Izumi and Kanan. "Izumi!" She ran up at full speed and she wrapped her arms around Izumi's middle. "Have you been busy like Dad and Zuko?"

"No, I've just been dealing with some other… _things_."

"What kinds of things?"

"Princess things." Izumi looked at the pond. "Practicing your waterbending?"

Kya nodded emphatically before running back to the pond. "Look at how good I am!"

Bumi let out a small groan, but Izumi knelt beside her and watched. Tongue sticking out and face scrunched in exaggerated concentration, Kya slowly began to manipulate the water. Once the water was steadily moving back and forth, she looked up at Izumi in excitement. "Isn't it cool!?"

"Very cool," Izumi said. "I bet you'll be throwing icicles in no time."

"I hope not," Bumi said. "She's insufferable as it is."

"You're suffuable!" Kya replied petulantly before looking back at Izumi. "How old were you when you started throwing icicles?"

"I'm a firebender, Kya."

"Oh right. How old were you when you started throwing… um… sparks?"

Izumi heard Kanan behind her stifling a giggle. "My father says I was three when I produced my first flame. I don't think I ever _threw sparks_ as you say."

"You guys want to see something _really_ cool?"

Somehow, in the last minute, Bumi had managed to climb up to nearly half of the tree's height without anyone noticing. Izumi stood, knowing full well how reckless he could be. "What are you doing?"

"You guys were being boring," he said. "I'm just spicing things up a bit."

"Bumi, you're too heavy for that tree. You're going to fall and hurt yourself."

"Jeez, you're such a wet rag. Where's your sense of fun?"

_It's not really worth the utter **boredom**._

Izumi shook off the memory. "If one of those branches breaks, you're going to end up breaking a leg or _worse_."

Bumi ignored her, and when he reached the top - nearly twenty feet off the ground - he looked across the gardens with a huge grin. "It's a great view up here!" he yelled down tauntingly. "You can practically see the whooole city! You guys should come up here and see!"

"Okay!" Kya said excitedly.

"_No_." Izumi grabbed the back of Kya's shirt.

Bumi pointed at nearby tree. "Bet you guys I can make it from here!"

Izumi gaped at the nearly fifteen foot gap. "Bumi, don't you dare. There's no way you can make that!"

"Oh yeah?" He stepped out along one of the larger branches and started to stand when the branch snapped beneath them, sending him spiraling forward.

"_BUMI_!" Kya shrieked.

Kanan leapt forward and stomped the ground. Raising his arms, a column of earth leapt from the ground and wrapped itself around Bumi's body, slowing his descent and bringing him safely to the ground.

Bumi crawled out of the layers of dirt as Izumi and Kya ran up to him. "Bumiareyouokay!?" Kya blurted out.

"I'm fine, I'm fine…" he said indignantly.

"What on earth were you thinking!?" Izumi rebuked. "Even if you hadn't fallen, it was stupid for you to even _attempt_ that jump!"

"I would have been fine," Bumi insisted. "Don't underestimate me just because I'm not a bender!"

Izumi blinked, taken aback by the defensiveness. "This has nothing to do with being a bender and _everything_ to do with you doing something incredibly stupid! You're a smart kid; you _knew_ there was no way you could make it!"

He gave a disparaging shrug. "Maybe I'm just stupider than you think I am."

She shook her head in disbelief. Why on earth was Bumi acting this way? He was a reckless child to be sure, but he was acting so much more… flippant. "Why are you dismissing this? You could have _died_ and you're acting as though nothing happened!"

"What? You mean like _you_?"

Izumi froze. "What are you talking about?"

"When we first got here," Bumi said. "Zuko said someone attacked you. Which I know is code for _assassination_. But you brushed it all off, acted as if it was nothing."

That wasn't true. Izumi had known full well how serious the assassination attempt had been. At that time, she had just been trying to reassure her father that she was fine.

By minimizing the magnitude of the attack.

"That's not the same…" she said quietly.

Bumi scoffed. "You're a terrible liar." He grabbed Kya's hand. "C'mon Kya. You can practice waterbending in our room."

Izumi watched them leave, feeling a bit dumbfounded. She wanted to say something, have the last word, but couldn't think of anything to say. Especially when Bumi's point was entirely valid.

Kanan kicked the large mound of dirt and torn up grass. "Yu is going to kill me…"

"Thank Agni you saved him though." Izumi shook her head. "What was he _thinking_?"

Kanan shrugged with a tired sigh. "Bumi's a kid. It's completely normal for boys his age to act recklessly. It's nothing to worry about."

"I suppose so..." Though the distinct feeling of _wrongness_ still hadn't left her. n combination with the bitter stab of hypocrisy stemming from Bumi's observation, Izumi couldn't help but think: _What on earth just **happened**?_

* * *

**Criticisms of all kinds welcome as always. **


	7. Chapter 6

**Hey all!**

**Hopefully this chapter isn't too boring. It _does_ have some fluff at the end. :)**

**Enjoy Chapter 6!**

* * *

Izumi practiced the new forms from the Advanced Set her instructors had showed her and her peers before she stopped going to the Academy. While it pained her to do so, she followed her grandfather's advice and continued to respect her instructors' directions and practice what they had taught her. She _wanted_ to be practicing the original firebending style, but with her father unavailable and her grandfather's tendency to tire easily, she currently had very little guidance to work with.

That was one thing Izumi had not anticipated about her grandfather's visit: his nearly daily need to rest privately. It shouldn't have been surprising. At nearly ninety years old, he wasn't young by any definition. His body's energy and stamina were bound to decrease over time, despite his incredible health. Even so, Izumi was still unsettled by the mere idea of her grandfather aging and and approaching death (even a peaceful one). She struggled even fathom life without him. And imagining the effect his death would have on her father made her feel ill.

While she was a strong proponent of thinking through events and scenarios in advance, this was one event she would _not_ analyze. She understood that contemplating it ahead of time wouldn't make the event itself any less traumatic and it would only cause undue stress in the meantime. So, she ignored it.

Pamel was patrolling along the edge of the training arena, a watchful eye on Izumi and on every potential point of entry. She was as stern and stalwart as Izumi remembered. She greeted Izumi as appropriate, responded to her questions with a brutal sort of honesty, and scolded her when she thoroughly deserved it. Though Pamel had yet to scold her since she began to work as part of Izumi's permanent guard.

While she wasn't much for small talk or casual conversation, Izumi found her presence to be oddly comforting. She found this perplexing at first, especially since she hadn't seen Pamel in several years. However, Izumi eventually concluded that it basically came down to familiarity. Besides her father, Izumi had probably spent most of her early years with Pamel. So while little five year old Izumi had disliked Pamel more than all of the other servants, she had eventually come to trust Pamel's frankness.

Izumi slowly breathed in, focusing on every inch of movement. Her annoyance was increasing as she struggled to get her body to move the way it was _supposed_ to. Concentrating on the fundamentals, she tried to apply them, keeping her breath slow and even. It was about breathing, about control. The idea of firebending being about pure power that could break through any defense is a notion from the war. The original style of firebending was about fluidity and cunning in addition to power. _Focus, Izumi… Focus on what you know to be right._

Her knee twisted and she stumbled out of the kata. With a growl of frustration, Izumi stood back up and kicked the dirt. "I don't understand," she muttered to herself. "What am I missing? What magical form or philosophy is Father going to teach me that will make me _better_ than this?"

"Princess? Are you alright?"

Izumi closed her eyes with a sigh, getting tired of people asking her this question. "I'm fine, Pamel." She straightened and thrust her arms in front of her, starting from the beginning of the kata.

Half an hour later, the distant sound of beating wings made her pause in her practice. Noticing that it seemed to be approaching, Izumi went to the far side of the arena and looked up to the sky and saw exactly whom she expected: Druk.

Swiveling to the side, he landed in the middle of the arena with a small poof of dirt and dust. Then he walked up to Izumi before laying on the ground with small rumble.

"Is… is it alright…?" Pamel asked.

"He's fine," Izumi said, kneeling in front of Druk's head. "I think he's just realized that he's too big to fit in the negotiation rooms." She scratched his mane, eliciting a low purr. "Well, I'm glad I can be of service as your backup human."

Druk gave her a sharp look before closing his eyes and leaning into her ministrations.

"Dear Agni…" Pamel muttered. "I think he understood you."

"Of course he understood me. He's not just some dumb animal. Dragons are incredibly intelligent." Izumi turned to Pamel, who was standing stiff about ten feet away. Her eyes were glued on Druk with a mixture of fear and awe. "You can come closer. He won't hurt you."

"Beg your pardon, Your Highness, but I am not of royal blood like you."

"Royal blood? Druk doesn't care about royalty. In fact, I doubt he can tell the difference..."

"Of course he can," Pamel said with confidence. "Druk chose Fire Lord Zuko as his companion because he could sense that the Fire Lord was spirit-blessed, as all members of the royal family are."

Pamel was nearly eighty, which meant that most of her life had been during the Hundred Year War. A large part of the propaganda during the war was to convince the populace that Sozin and his descendants had a divine right to rule. It was said that the war was to help spread and share the blessing of the spirits to the rest of the world. However, these beliefs quickly boiled away after the end of the war as the entire nation had to struggle with the bitter aftermath. After twenty years, Pamel was probably one of the few people left who still thought of Sozin's line as divine.

"Druk didn't chose my father because he was royalty," Izumi said. "Father and Druk bonded when Father touched his egg years ago. I'm not certain how it all works since many scrolls on the subject were destroyed, but I think Father and Druk were just… compatible."

"Yes," Pamel said. "Druk is dragon: an original firebender with inherent spiritual nature. The Fire Lord is the supreme firebender chosen by spirits to rule. These are why they're compatible."

This was becoming uncomfortable. "Druk chose my father because of the _type_ person he. He would have chosen my father even if he had been a peasant."

"Perhaps. But he is not. He is the Fire Lord."

Izumi sighed. "I think you're reading too much into this coincidence."

Pamel smiled. "You see coincidence, Princess. I see divinity."

Izumi just returned a hesitant smile, wanting to end the conversation. Hearing her family referred to as divine was… unsettling. Especially in regards to herself. At least her grandfather and father actually _had_ done amazing things. Grandfather had taken back Ba Sing Se with only a few others from the Fire Nation during Sozin's Comet, and her father had conceived and pushed for the creation of the United Republic of Nations. From these accomplishments, she could see why people might praise them, even to the point of calling them blessed. She, on the other hand, had accomplished _nothing_.

Walking back to the center of the arena, Izumi closed her eyes and regained completely control over her breathing before resuming. However, this became considerably more difficult when Druk came up to her mid-kata. Ignoring the fact that he had encircled her three times over, he was nudging her body affectionately. While frankly adorable in its own strange way, it was also incredibly distracting to say the least. "Honestly, Druk…" Izumi finally said, "I'm _trying_ to practice."

Druk huffed and nudged her elbow again, more insistent than affectionate this time. Unwinding so Izumi had more space, he continued to rub his head underneath both of her arms and push them up.

Perplexed by this new behaviour, Izumi abandoned her kata and placed her hands on Druk's head to stop him. "What are you trying to _do_?"

He shook her hands off and stepped back without looking away from her. Then, with a short, declarative cry, Druk launched into the air with a strong beat of his wings. He circled the arena a few times before swooping down and flying in an oscillating pattern along the ground.

Shielding her eyes from the swirling dirt, Izumi watched as Druk maneuvered around her, moving up and down, sometimes taking a sharp turn up or to the side and looping through the air...

_"They looped and twisted around us," her father said, a hint of awe audible in his voice. "Aang was the one who figured out that they were doing their version of the Dancing Dragon."_

A nervous chuckle bubbled out of her, a smile forming on her face. Druk was five years old - the dragon equivalent of a preadolescence - and he instinctively knew the natural firebending forms.

He was trying to teach her.

She already knew the Dancing Dragon, having demanded her father to teach it to her when she had been four or five. Her smile widening, she raised her arms and left leg and started the form, moving fluidly with Druk.

It was thirty seconds; for thirty exhilarating seconds, they were in sync. She didn't even have to think as she moved. There was only the warm air sweeping around, making her breathless, and not even the hair in her eyes could dampen that sensation.

She had no partner, so it ended with her punching the air. But Druk quickly landed and met her on the ground, looking at her in question and his snout lightly brushing her neck.

Izumi let out a small giggle, scratching under his chin and leaning against his nose. "Thanks, Druk. I appreciate it."

The rest of her practice was lighter than it had been in months. She didn't think about how terribly she was bending or how she was doing it wrong… she simply enjoyed it.

Once she was done, she gave Druk one last scratch behind the mane. "I'm going to wash up now before dinner. Why don't you try to find Bumi and Kya? They'd probably like playing with you."

With a final rumble, Druk looked up into the sky and prepared to take off. Izumi quickly stepped back (having had enough dirt blown into her clothes for the day) just as he leapt up from the ground.

As she was preparing to leave, Izumi noticed that Pamel was smiling at her. "What is it?" she asked with a small frown.

"You honestly have no idea how fortunate you are," Pamel replied.

How fortunate she was? This seemed to come from nowhere. Pamel might have been referring to her proximity to one of the last of the dragons or to her social standing. "My father is incredibly lucky to have Druk," she said slowly, trying to gauge Pamel's reactions and figure out what she might have been referring to. "And I understand that it's incredible that I've gotten to grow up with a dragon. I also understand that I have amenities that most people could only _imagine_. I live a comfortable life, with no worries like hunger and shelter; I have luxuries like fine clothes and jewelry; I have access to some of the best education in the world; and I have a family who loves me."

Pamel's smile persisted. Apparently Izumi had missed the point she was trying to make. "You understand," Pamel said, "... but you can't possibly comprehend."

What was it with the elderly and their need to be cryptic? Izumi wondered if her grandfather's generation enjoyed being subtle or if everyone became just unbearably philosophical once they passed eighty. "Well... I'm going to take a bath," Izumi said.

Pamel bowed slightly. "Very well, Princess."

From the training arenas to the baths, Izumi usually took a route that passed the Communications Room. It was a room with five telephones: one for each Ba Sing Se, the Northern and Southern Water Tribe, Air Temple Island, and the new Republic City. They were a new invention that Sokka helped design. They allowed for immediate long distance communication. With a line to each major center of the world, it made large scale organization much easier.

Her father only wanted the Communications Room for emergencies or when some finer points in the negotiations needed to be clarified or brushed up quickly, so it was almost always vacant. However, today as they walked down the hallway towards it, Izumi saw that the door was open and could hear someone talking inside.

"... you implying?"

A pause.

"Of course I care, I just - !"

Another pause.

"Katara, _stop_ it! You're being unreasonable!"

Izumi's heart skipped a beat. _Aang?_ She slowed in her steps, not to eavesdrop of course. Eavesdropping hasn't done her any good recently. Not to mention it would be incredibly rude of her to listen to what is clearly a private conversation. But the uncharacteristic anger and annoyance in Aang's voice compelled her to walk just a bit slower so that she could gain more context and formulate a reasonable explanation.

"You said yourself it would be better if you stayed home! ... Well, how was I supposed to know that? I'm not a mindreader!"

A long bout of silence followed where Katara was no doubt giving her heartfelt response.

"... That's not true, Katara. I'm not that shallow."

Even with her slow pace, Izumi was almost out of ear range at this point. She refused to stop and listen more, and she wasn't sure she wanted to. It wasn't any of her business. Aang and Katara's relationship had nothing to do with her, and it was inappropriate for her to get involved in any way.

She pressed a hand to her chest where there was an uncomfortable pressure. Even if it wasn't any of her concern, she still couldn't help but wonder what they were fighting about.

"You shouldn't worry about the Avatar and his wife," Pamel said. "Couples fight; it's normal."

"Fight like _that_?" Izumi asked.

"Sometimes. You didn't grow up with two parents so this probably doesn't seem normal to you, which is why you're so upset."

Of course she was upset. Aang and Katara always seemed like they were perfect for each other. "I've just never seen them argue before…"

"All of that lovey-dovey stuff you usually see from people is usually an act on some level," Pamel said. "That doesn't mean they don't have problems in their private lives. Almost all couples do."

Izumi nodded slowly. She trusted Pamel's judgement, and if she said this wasn't something to worry about, then Izumi would try not to worry. After all, Izumi lived in such unusual circumstances. Her perception of what was a _normal_ family life was probably quite skewed. Besides, she couldn't draw any solid conclusions from hearing a single minute of a one-sided conversation. It was out of context, outside of her understanding, and none of her business.

However, that didn't mean she wasn't still troubled. And something told her this feeling was going to linger for much longer than she would like.

* * *

That evening, there was a relatively small but late dinner in the main hall. The attendees were just Fire Lord Zuko, Avatar Aang, King Kuei and their families (except Iroh who had to retire earlier). As had been rumoured, the woman Kuei brought with him was his fiance, Lang Hui. She was fairly reclusive, no one having really seen her outside of formal events. However, she seemed nice enough from what Izumi could tell.

All seven people sat comfortably around a circular table. It began with an exciting announcement: they were nearly complete with the negotiations. All they had left was to send copies to the current heads of the Earth Kingdom provinces that were to be converted and get their official approval.

"We should celebrate!" Kuei said. "Let's go into the city tomorrow and explore the markets!"

"I don't think that's a very good idea…" Zuko said. "Three heads of state with their families all in one very public place is a recipe for disaster."

"We can clear the area," Kuei said. "Your people working with my people should be more than enough to secure the area ahead of time."

Zuko shook his head. "We would basically have to cut off the citizens from the market for an entire day. It's not worth it for just a few hours of fun."

Kuei sighed. "I suppose you're right… But what _should_ we do?"

"There's plenty we can do in the palace," Aang said. "It's about spending time with our families, which we haven't been able to do since we got here. It'll be fun for all of us to do something together, even if we stay in the palace."

Izumi saw her father nod in agreement, but with his eyes downcast - highlighted by his dark bags - she could tell that he was less enthusiastic about the prospect of everyone spending time together. His idea of relaxation was isolation, not socialization.

"Yes… maybe a concert of some sort," Kuei said. "Or a play!"

"It would be difficult to organize such a thing last minute," Zuko said tiredly.

"That's true… What can we do...?"

"I think a concert is a great idea," Izumi said. "We have another two weeks until the commencement. Why don't we relax the next few days while we organize something. We can all officially celebrate next week when Councilman Sokka and the other leaders arrive."

"Sounds good," Aang said. "Maybe Katara will feel well enough to come out…"

Izumi glanced at him for a moment, thinking of the fight she had overheard. _Stop it. You're being nosy._

"Toph Beifong should come as well!" Kuei said. He turned to Lang Hui. "I think you'll like Toph. She's a no-nonsense type of woman like you."

"Hmm… I've heard," Lang Hui said. "Though I've also heard that she's all but rejected her noble birthright."

Kuei shrugged. "She's free of spirit to be sure."

"Toph is awesome," Bumi piped up. "She's not boring or pushy; she lets you do whatever you want short of getting yourself killed!"

"Yes, and then refuses to tell your _parents_ why their children are covered in every conceivable type of mud imaginable…" Aang said dryly.

Lang Hui smiled. "She sounds more like a grandparent than a family friend…"

Kya shook her head. "Aunt Toph is nothing like Grandpa," she said matter-of-factly, her body jerking to and fro as she swung her legs back and forth under her chair. "Grandpa gets grumpy when we're bad. And he tells Mommy and Daddy. Grandpa also gives us candy and snacks. Toph doesn't really…"

Lang Hui let out a small scoff. "Sounds like an appalling woman," she murmured under her breath. "It'll be interesting to see what kind of _mother_ she'll be…"

The others didn't seem to hear; the table breaking down into smaller conversations. However, Izumi was sitting right next to her, and didn't like the tone Lang Hui was using. She had neither met Toph nor had any children of her own. What right did she have to _judge_ Toph? "A better mother than _you_ will be…" she murmured equally as quiet.

No one else reacted except Lang Hui, whose body had stiffened. Izumi smiled, glad that she knew that her untasteful comment had been heard.

But then her father placed a hand on her shoulder. "_Izumi_..." he warned quietly. When she turned to him, he gave the slightest shake of the head.

Izumi quickly mouthed '_sorry_' before looking down, her stomach clenching at the sight of her father's look of reproach. She turned to apologize to Lang Hui, but she was engaged with a conversation with Kuei and Kya who was animatedly talking about her grandfather, Chief Hakoda. So Izumi turned back to her plate, her face burning in shame as she poked at her food.

The dinner continued without incident or particularly interesting points of conversation. Once the initial spike of embarrassment at her own immaturity had dulled, she listened to her father and Aang who were casually discussing what sort of concert or performance to organize for the following week. But with the sting of her father's admonishment still present, she decided to keep her mouth mostly shut for the rest of the meal.

In the end, each family retired to their respective bedrooms. When they were nearly back to their rooms, Izumi placed a hand on her father's arm to, her eyes focused on his feet. "I wanted to apologize for earlier… I know I was out of line."

"You were," her father said, "But I understand why you felt the urge to respond the way you did. I also heard what she said."

Izumi sighed. "Nothing bothers me more than people making unfounded insults. When people call our family war mongers, at least it's based on some facts. Lang Hui had no reason or cause to insult Toph like that." She took a deep breath. "But that doesn't excuse my behaviour."

She saw her father turn around and felt his warm hands on her shoulders. "Izumi, look at me."

When she complied, she was mildly surprised to see that he was smiling warmly. "I'm not _mad_ at you. Like I said, I completely understand your reaction. I used to say a lot of impulsive and not-so-friendly things when I was your age. Heck, even when I was older. What I eventually learned was that you _can't_ be impulsive in politics. Every word you say can be used against you, no matter how much you may have been joking or even well-meant. You need to be aware that even the smallest of insults can end with _very_ bad consequences." He squeezed her shoulders. "It's better that you make mistakes _now_ and learn from them. You don't want to be making these mistakes once you become the Fire Lord."

Izumi nodded. "You're right. Though I still feel a little bad..."

Zuko hesitated for a moment. "Don't feel bad… She kind of deserved it. I just want you to know that you can't really get away with insulting important guests once you're Fire Lord, even if they _do_ deserve it."

"Well, that won't be for a long while, so that gives me plenty of time to learn."

His smile widened. "Yes, it does." He leaned forward and placed a light kiss on her forehead. "I love you. Now go to bed and get some rest."

"I love you too. And _you_ get some rest. _You're_ the one who's been working non-stop for months..."

Her father chuckled. "'Night, Izumi."

"Good night, Father."

* * *

**Criticisms of all kinds welcome as always. **


	8. Chapter 7

**Hey all!**

**This chapter was extremely difficult to write. Hope I was able to do it justice.**

**Enjoy Chapter 7!**

* * *

There was a sense of freedom and availability that permeated throughout the palace. Without the tensions from the deliberations of the three the most powerful people in the world swirling around in nearly tangible waves, everyone (including the staff) was just a bit happier and more relaxed. In Izumi's mind, no one felt this more keenly than she. She desperately wanted to ask her father to start training her immediately now that they had the time. However, she recognized that this would really just be more work for him, and he definitely deserved a break from _any_ sort of work.

When Izumi and Shun arrived at their private dining room, Shun remained standing guard outside as she entered. She was welcomed by the sight of her father eating breakfast noodles and reading his normal reports. He wasn't devouring them in record time or skipping the meal altogether... he was just enjoying his food at a nice relaxed pace.

When he saw her, he flashed a smile. "'Morning, Izumi."

"Good morning." She pulled up the chair next to him and sat down. "You seem lively…" The bags under his eyes were not as pronounced and his movements weren't sluggish as they had been the night before. Between these and his mood, Izumi assumed that he must have slept well.

"I no longer have to lock myself into a small room with Aang, Kuei, and our pestering advisors. At least not for another week. But even then it's all practically a matter of ceremony. I'm looking forward to finally taking Uncle's advice and _relaxing_."

One of the servants brought Izumi breakfast, and after taking a few bites, she asked, "So what are your plans for your first day of relaxation? Maybe some pleasure reading... maybe drinking tea and playing Pai Sho with Grandfather... maybe trying to see if Druk is finally large enough to carry us…"

Zuko chuckled. "Actually, if you're up for it, I was thinking maybe some firebending."

Izumi's eyebrows rose. "Really? That won't just be more work for you?"

"Being with my daughter is never work," he said. Then he frowned as if he was reconsidering the statement. "Well... it hasn't been work since you turned eight. But _all_ children are brats up to then. In fact, most children probably take longer to mature than you…" He shook his head. "Bottom line, spending time with you _is_ relaxing."

"You're going to be teaching; that doesn't sound like relaxation to me."

"I've been locked in a small room for weeks now," Zuko repeated. "I've hardly had any time to practicing my _own_ bending. The mere act of bending will be great. Helping you will just be a fantastic bonus."

Izumi's face broke out in a huge smile, her chest fluttering in excitement. She realized she must have looked like an idiot and tried to tone her smile down, but she couldn't fight against the strong automatic response. "I'd love to train today! Though we should spend the morning with Grandfather. We can train later this afternoon while he's resting."

It was hardly noticeable, but her father's face fell slightly. Looking down at his noodles, he said, "So it wasn't just yesterday; Uncle's been going to bed early regularly?"

For a moment she was surprised that her father hadn't noticed, but then remembered that he had hardly spent any time with them in the last week. "Sometimes he takes an afternoon nap instead, but yes: He's been… resting frequently."

Zuko nodded, taking another bite of his breakfast. "He doesn't seem to be sick…"

"No, I think it's just his age," Izumi said. "It's common for… older people to need to rest more frequently. I don't think it's anything to worry about."

He sighed. "You're probably right." He looked out at the sky, judging the time. "I suppose that means we'll be spending the morning drinking tea…"

"Actually, Grandfather said he was going to teach me to make bubble tea. You could learn too!"

There was a slight expression of disgust. "I think I'll just watch while I drink my _normal_ tea."

"I don't see why you dislike it so much…"

"Tea should _not_ be chewy," he said firmly.

She had to stifle the chuckle at her father's adamant tone. "Father… are you becoming a _tea snob_?"

"What? Of course I'm - !" he paused. He stared into the distance in thought before closing his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose. "Damn it, Uncle…"

Izumi couldn't hold her in her laughter this time. "Don't blame Grandfather! Accept that you might actually have tea standards."

He grumbled as he slurped up the last of his noodles. "I suppose it was inevitable…"

Soon after, her grandfather joined them, which was when Izumi piped up, "Father has tea standards!"

Iroh raised an eyebrow. "Izumi… your father has had tea standards for a looong time now."

"Really?" Izumi said.

"Oh yes." He sat down next to Zuko and gave a nod of thanks to the servant who brought his breakfast. "You think I am capable of traveling with a person for three years and _not_ teach them about the finer points of tea brewing?"

She turned to her father. "Now that I think about it, is _that_ what you're always pestering the chef about after our dinners? The quality of the tea?"

"No," Zuko said firmly. "Not always."

A pause.

"Just… often. Why do I get the feeling I'm being ambushed here?"

Izumi shrugged. "Everyone always teases Grandfather for his savant taste in tea. Meanwhile you silently hide in the background sipping your equally well-crafted brew."

Zuko shook his head in his hands. "Why are we even _talking_ about this?"

"Because you have some strange vendetta against bubble tea," Izumi stated.

"It's not a vendetta! I just don't understand the appeal…"

"Ah, so that's how this conversation came about," Iroh observed. "It's not just your father, Izumi. Aang has never quite warmed up to it either."

"Huh. Who knew the progressive idealists would be such traditionalists…"

"I'm not a traditionalist!"

"It's not an insult, Father…"

He leaning back in his chair with a sigh. "Can we talk about something else? Something more… interesting."

Izumi's smile widened. "There are few topics more interesting than those that make you uncomfortable."

Her grandfather smirked. "She has a point, Nephew."

"So I _am_ being ambushed. And for sport, no less…"

There was some lighthearted gibes and banter while Izumi and Iroh finished their breakfast. Then Iroh gathered the necessary supplies from his room before they all went to the garden with the turtleduck pond. It was during this transition that Pamel relieved Shun and started her shift. She stood guard just outside the garden, giving the royal family their privacy.

As Iroh laid out a blanket and began to set everything up, he asked, "Where is Druk? The whole family should be here relaxing!"

"Probably at the edge of the city," Zuko said. "I haven't seen him all morning, but that usually means he's exploring with Appa."

"So Druk and Appa get along?"

"They have an… interesting relationship," Izumi said. "Druk is clearly the '_child_', more active and playful than Appa. Appa is almost a parent more than anything else. It's a fascinating dynamic."

"Well, maybe Druk can join us later." Iroh held up a small pot, heating it in his hands. "Come here, Izumi. I want you to mirror my actions. Doing is the best form of learning."

Zuko sat to the side, watching Izumi and Iroh as they made their tea. First they made tea as they always did, though much stronger than what would be considered normal. Then they prepared the tapioca, boiling the beads in water and soaking them in nectar-based syrup.

"Tea is good," Zuko noted. "Tapioca is good. But putting them together…"

Izumi lightly punched her father's arm. "Stop being such a spoil sport."

"... and I can't even _have_ any of the tea because you made it too strong."

It was amusing how much of a petulant child her father could be. In a way, it was one of the reasons Izumi loved having her grandfather around. Normally, her father was serious and… well, so parental. Not that Izumi minded. She loved her father dearly, and his doting - while annoying at times - did make her feel special. But when her grandfather was around, he seemed to bring out a more childish side from her father. It humanized him, in an odd sort of way.

"Why don't you invite Aang?" Izumi suggested. "You two can grumble in the corner drinking your _normal_ tea while Grandfather and I enjoy ourselves."

Zuko frowned slightly. "I think Aang's going to spend the day with his kids," he said seriously. "Which is good. I think things have been... tense lately. Especially between Bumi and Aang."

Izumi frowned. "What do you mean...?" she asked slowly.

"Aang says Bumi's been acting out. I mean, more than usual. Apparently it's been driving Aang and Katara nuts."

"Bumi is twelve years old," Iroh pointed out. "Might I remind you of the sorts of trouble _you_ got into at that age."

Zuko shook his head. "It's not just that… Aang seems unusually stressed. During the negotiations, he was constantly distracted. When I asked him about it, he was standoffish, which isn't like him at all. I don't know... It might be just because of Bumi and the fact that Kya's been having trouble sleeping, not to mention the fact that Katara isn't feeling well. All of that on top of the negotiations is a _lot_ to deal with. I was stressed enough without all those extra worries."

Izumi bit her lip, thinking about the very short exchanged she had heard between Aang and Katara. It was clear now that she shouldn't have eavesdropped, even if was (sort of) by accident. But it was too fresh in her memory - too relevant - for her to ignore now. "Aang and Katara are fighting."

Her father and grandfather simultaneously looked at her with mixed expressions of confusion and surprise. "How do you know?" her father asked.

Izumi took a deep breath. It felt wrong to be talking about this, but she also hated hiding it. "I was going to wash up after training when I heard Aang talking to her in the Communications Room. I didn't hear much because it was obviously private, and I only heard Aang's side of the conversation but… they were definitely yelling at each other."

Iroh shook his head. "We cannot make assumptions based on _one_ partially overheard fight. Besides, it's not at all unusual for couples to fight."

"That's what Pamel said…"

"I'm sure everything is fine," Zuko said. "And if it's not, Katara and Aang are the strongest couple I've ever met. They'll work it out."

This was all completely reasonable, but Izumi couldn't shake the feeling of _wrongness_ that had gripped her mind the other day when Bumi snapped at her. "Kya's been having trouble sleeping…" she said, more to herself than to her family. "Bumi has been acting more recklessly… and Aang and Katara are fighting..."

_Don't underestimate me just because I'm not a bender!_

And then it clicked. Her eyes widening, she looked between her father and grandfather, a little horrified at the conclusion she had just come to. But it made sense; it made _too much_ sense. "You don't think… I mean, you don't suppose that it could be because…" She stopped. She couldn't make herself say it.

Iroh somberly finished the thought for her. "Because they haven't had any airbending children."

"It's understandable," Izumi said quickly. "Aang is the last of his people. If they don't have any airbending children, it could be the end of Air Nomad culture as we know it. The Acolytes can carry on some of the traditions but if there aren't any airbenders..."

Her father looked as though he wanted to protest, but was struggling to find any reason to. "That may be true…" he finally said. "... but I'm sure it wouldn't - " He suddenly stopped, looking toward one of the walls that enclosed the garden.

Izumi frowned. "Father? What is - ?"

A blade flew past her father's head, embedding itself into the ground, spurring all three of them to instinctively jump up into en garde.

A man ran toward them from the other end of the garden and swung another blade at her father, who easily blocked and twisted his arm away. Zuko swung his leg out with an arc of fire, but the man jumped out of its way.

Izumi was about to help when she caught a sharp movement in the corner of her eye, barely managing to dodge the blow aimed at her head. Rolling to the side, she that saw her grandfather was engaged with a _third_ would-be assassin. She barely processed the fact before the her attacker lunged at her again.

Jaya's assassination attempt flashed before her mind, and all she could remember was the helplessness, her sheer inability to hold Jaya off...

This was different. There may be three of them, but her father and grandfather are here. They were two of the best benders in the _entire world_. All she had to do was hold this one man off for long enough: Long enough for her father and grandfather to subdue their opponents before helping her.

But the next time her own opponent came at her, he completely evaded all her attempts to block him. With fluidity Izumi had never seen before, the man slithered around her, striking the pressure points up her sides and arms.

_A chi blocker!_ Her upper body crumpled, her muscles turning to jelly. The man grabbed her, and she let out a cry, panicking at her inability to strike back.

Then there was a blade to her throat.

The fighting stopped, her father and grandfather freezing upon seeing the threat to Izumi. The other two attackers had stepped back toward the third. "Now…" the man who held her said. "This is a little better."

Her father's face was ashen, his teeth bared. "Let her go," he demanded.

The man chuckled. "And give up my best leverage? I think not, Traitor Zuko."

Izumi's heart was pounding in her ears. She couldn't feel her arms or torso, but she could feel her legs, which were shaking beneath her. If the man had let go, she would have fallen to the ground. She stared wide-eyed at her family, who stood there looking just as helpless as she. The sight made her hardly able to breathe.

"What do you hope to gain from this?" Iroh asked, his voice dangerously low.

"Oh, nothing _you_ can offer. We have everything we need."

In her periphery, Izumi saw the other two attackers pull out small metal contraptions.

Two flashes and two deafening bangs. Like a thunderstorm.

In the blink of an eye, her father and grandfather were knocked back through a mist of blood.

"NO!" Izumi screamed, struggling pathetically against her captor. "FATHER! GRANDFATHER!"

"Shut up!" He cuffed the back of her head. The sharp burst of pain effectively silenced her.

"What are you doing?" one of the other assassins said. The contraption in her hand was smoking. "Just kill her so we can get out of here!"

His grip tightened around Izumi, brushing a hand against her face. "I will… but first I want to have some fun."

"_Fun_?" The woman wrinkled her face. "That's disgusting."

Izumi flinched away from his hand. "_No_…" She was starting to get feeling back, but her muscles were still too unresponsive for her to effectively struggle against him.

"You're a woman. You wouldn't understand." He turned to the other man. "C'mon… let's have our way with the traitor's spawn."

The other man stepped towards them, a hungry look in his eyes. Izumi fervently shook her head. "No, please… _please_..."

Blue lightning suddenly discharged across the garden, hitting the advancing man and sending him flying backward. He hit the wall with a sickening crack and fell to the ground, eyes staring up lifelessly at the sky.

Her father was rolled onto his side, his arm outstretched where he had released the deadly bolt. His breathing was labored and expression twisted in rage.

"What!?" The woman ran to him and thrashed his head with her contraption, knocking him out cold. "Just _die_!" she screamed. She turned to the other man. "We need to leave _now_."

"You go." He grabbed Izumi's chin, turning her head upward to him. "I'll leave in a few minutes."

She scoffed. "Don't blame me if you get caught!" Then she fled the garden.

_Pamel… Where's Pamel? Where's Druk? Where's **anyone**!?_

The man mashed his mouth against hers, shoving his foul tongue into her and squeezing her body against his.

"_No!_" She ripped her face away from his. "Let go of me!"

He shoved her to the ground, laying on top of her to prevent her from moving. "Shut up, you whore!" He bashed his fist against her face once... twice... three times.

Her vision swayed, the blows scrambling her senses. Her face pulsating in pain in time with the pain that pounded in her head. She couldn't resist. He was too strong.

He ripped her tunic open, gripping and squeezing her flesh with bruising strength.

Izumi turned her head, staring at the the prone bodies of her family. They were injured. Knocked out to be sure. But they would be okay.

He bent down and bit into her breast, eliciting an involuntary whimper from her.

They _had_ to be okay. Whatever these people did, it was reversible. Fixable. This would pass. This would all pass.

_Thump._

Her vision refocused on an object that was closer. A _lot_ closer. It had just fallen out of this man's pocket. A small metal contraption.

The same contraption that the others had used.

Izumi quickly grabbed it. She had no idea what it did or how it worked, but the look of panic in the man's eyes was enough to tell her she _had_ to have it. He sat up and tried to pry it from her hands. They struggled. He was so much strong and would probably win, but Izumi kept her desperate grip. She would not let go. She would not give up this advantage, whatever it was. She would not -

**_BANG_**

Izumi froze, her ears ringing painfully. She was covered in some… warm substance. The man's body was now laying limp on top of her. Dropping the smoking contraption, she slowly turned her head to look at him.

The upper left part of his head was gone... blood everywhere... and his brain was exposed.

She blinked a couple times, but had no other reaction. Instead, she placed her hands on the body and managed to shove it off of her with great effort. Body trembling, she crawled backwards before pushing herself up onto her feet.

Dead. He was dead.

She turned to the other man whose body was still crumpled against the back wall. Also dead.

Then, with some deep dread, Izumi turned to her father and grandfather. They were still motionless, a large patch of dark red on each of their torsos. The red was soaking into the ground... without even a second thought to the hosts that they abandoned.

And she stood there, just as motionless as them, her ears still ringing. There was a haze, a separation between the small of her mind and the vast expanse of this world: this garden. It seemed that nothing could bridge it. Nothing could bridge that thick barrier…

Her father coughed, blood spurting from his mouth.

The haze vanished and her body broke free from its frozen spell. She ran forward and fell to her knees before him. "Father!?" She placed a hand on his forehead, finding it cold and clammy. He was still unconscious, unresponsive to her touch.

She tried to summon what little knowledge she had on first aid. What did she know? What little had she learned from Katara?

Make sure they're breathing.

Coughing was a good sign. It meant air was moving. She moved his head to the side so the blood didn't congeal in the back of his throat.

Apply pressure to the wound.

She looked at the small hole in the lower left side of his torso. Gingerly lifting the fabric, she ripped the hole bigger revealing an equally small hole in her father's flesh. What is this? What kind of weapon could do so much… yet so little? Laying one trembling hand on top of the other, she slowly placed them over the hole, leaning forward and applying pressure.

Blood gushed out, flowing over her hands. It was though she was pushing his life blood straight out of his body.

_No! It just appears that way. This is what is **supposed** to be done. People wouldn't do it if it only made things worse…_

Her father coughed again, making Izumi gasp as his body spasmed against her hands. She kept her hands pressed against him as best she could. She stared at the thick trails of blood that crisscrossed the back of her hands, thinking of nothing except of this simple task. Feeling nothing but the pumping warmth beneath her hands.

"Dear Spirits…"

Izumi's head snapped up to see Aang leaning against the edge of the garden entrance, his shoulder bloody. He stepped back and screamed at some unseen entities, "GET SOME HEALERS HERE _NOW_!"

"...pressure… I'm applying pressure…" she said, too quietly for anyone to hear.

Aang ran up to her and Zuko with a look of horror as he took in the scene before him. "What happened?" he demanded.

What happened? What was he talking about? Wasn't it obvious? "We were attacked!" she said angrily.

"Okay, okay…" He looked at her hands. "Applying pressure? That's good. Keep doing that!" He quickly got up and knelt beside her grandfather.

Perfect. She'll take care of Father. Aang will take care of Grandfather. The healers will be here any moment. And then everything will be fine.

Everything will be fine.

Everything will be fine.

She looked over to see Aang leaning over her grandfather. Leaning. Not applying pressure or anything else… just leaning, staring at him. Doing nothing.

"W-what are you doing?" Izumi demanded. "Don't just sit there; help him!"

Aang looked at her, his eyes wide and brimming with tears. "Izumi…"

That expression… that tone of voice… That wasn't good. Nothing good came with _that_ expression and _that_ tone. "Aang, _help him_."

Aang's breath stuttered and he slowly shook his head. "Izumi… he's dead."

* * *

**... Please don't kill me.**

**Criticisms of all kinds welcome as always. **


	9. Chapter 8

**Hey all!**

**So I basically got the response I expected from my last chapter. At this point, I do consider this fanfic to be vaguely AU because the show did imply that Iroh's death was a peaceful one. **

**Despite the last chapter, I hope you continue to enjoy my story.**

**Enjoy Chapter 8!**

* * *

"Princess! Princess Izumi!"

She twitched at the sound of her name, but otherwise didn't respond. They were trying to find her, but she didn't want to be found.

Izumi's knees were pressed against her chest, her arms outstretched in front of her. The skin of her face and hands felt tacky and stiff. Her back was firmly pressed against Druk's side, which sluggishly expanded and deflated with his steady breathing.

When healers and guards stormed the garden, Izumi had backed away from the scene, allowing everyone to do what they were best at. But between the sudden cacophony, the swarming bodies, and the stench of death hanging thick in the air, she couldn't stay. She couldn't take it.

So she ran. At first there was no destination; she just needed to be _away_ from everyone.

Without consciously thinking about it, she ended up in the stable with Druk and Appa. All of the torches were out, leaving only small slivers of sunlight to bleed in through the cracks of the large doors. She sat next to Druk's wing, placing his body between herself and the door. And there she had stayed for the last… hour? Two hours? She honestly had no idea how long she had been in there, but it was long enough that she could see clearly despite the lack of light.

Not that it mattered.

She needed to think.

She needed to _do_ something.

But all she could do was breathe.

"Your Highness?" The doors were opened, casting Druk's formidable shadow against the back wall. "Are you in here?" The voice was laced with thick worry.

If it had been anyone else, Izumi would have shrunk in on herself and silently pray for the person to just leave her be. Unless it was her father or grandfather, she didn't want to see them!

But... she couldn't make herself ignore him. "K-Kanan…?"

Jumping over Druk's body, Kanan's body deflated upon seeing her. "Oh thank Agni…!" He knelt in front of her, his eyes quickly scanning her. "You need to come with me. It's not safe here."

Izumi didn't move. She looked at Druk, then at Appa who was slumbering at the other side of the stables. "They weren't exploring…" she muttered.

Kanan frowned. "What?"

"That's why Father hadn't seen them all morning… They've been drugged. And the stable hand is missing." Pieces. She could gather the pieces, but she didn't seem to have any means of putting them all together.

"Princess, we need to leave. I need to take you somewhere safe."

This wasn't what she wanted to hear. This wasn't what she _needed_ to hear.

Shaking her head, she held her hands up in front of her face. Her hands… stained with the brownish grime that made her skin pull uncomfortably at every flex of her fingers.

_He's dead._

A small strangled cry escaped before she swallowed it back down. He shouldn't have died. Not like that. He should have passed away peacefully in his sleep. It was what he wanted. It was what he _deserved_. And he _would have_ survived if she had not been taken hostage. If she had been stronger, faster, better… he would still be here. Or maybe if she had gone to him instead... stanched _his_ wound...

Why hadn't she done better?

Something warm draped over her shoulders, prompting her to look up. Kanan was kneeling right in front of her now. He had wrapped the jacket of his uniform around her. "You're trembling," he stated.

That was true. In fact, Izumi was pretty sure she had been trembling nonstop for the last… Well, however much time had passed. "I'm not cold." Even so, she grabbed the edges of the jacket possessively.

"I'm sure… Princess, I need to get you somewhere safe."

Izumi turned to look at Druk's slumbering head again. The sight of it bugged her, yet she couldn't look away. "He won't w-wake up," she whispered.

"He'll be fine." Kanan placed a hand on her shoulder.

"_No!_" She swung her fist out, slugging him in the eye.

Kanan fell to the side with a hand over his eye and a look of shock on his face. "_Ow_… You pack more of a wallop than I would expect from you…"

Izumi's voice got caught in her throat. She just hit Kanan. Why would she do such a thing? What on earth was _wrong_ with her? "I-I'm sorry…!" she managed to force out before her breathes became too fast, too shallow. She knew this was wrong and bad, but for the life of her she couldn't grab hold and _control_ it.

Kanan sat back up and grabbed her arms, his face barely an inch from hers. "Princess, it's okay! I'm not hurt!"

"I… I… I…" _I didn't mean to!_

"Just breathe! With me, Princess…" He took a slow breath in, maintaining eye contact. He held it for a moment before slowly blowing it out.

Izumi tried to mirror him, but instead of breathing in slowly, all she managed was a series of short stuttered breaths. Whether they were in or out was beyond her comprehension.

"C'mon, Your Highness…" He kept breathing slowly, rubbing her arms comfortingly. "… Izumi, _breathe_."

She didn't know what it was. Maybe a shift in the atmosphere. Or simply something clicking in her brain. But her breathing stopped for a moment before she slowly exhaled. She leaned forward and rested her forehead on his shoulder, the rhythm of her breathing falling neatly to match with Kanan's. There was no stuttering. When Kanan wrapped his arms around her, there were a few tears that soaked the fabric of his shoulder...

But there was no stuttering.

Once she had calmed, Kanan slowly sat back up, but never completely letting go. "It's not safe here."

Izumi nodded. "I know… but where _is_ safe?"

He tugged upward lightly on her arms. "I'll show you."

It was strange to be led through your own palace. But at the same time, Izumi was grateful. For some reason, she didn't seem to have much processing power at the moment. She could absorb information, but that was about it. "Where's Father?" she finally asked.

"Somewhere safe. I'm taking you there now."

That could not have been more vague. "Do we know… _anything_?"

It took Kanan a moment to respond, probably gathering his thoughts. "There were at least three people involved. We don't who they are or for whom they worked for. We also know that… at least two members of staff are missing."

That was a lot of information. At least, it _seemed_ like a lot of information. Had enough time passed for people to _gather_ that much information? "Where's Father?"

Kanan gave her a strange look. "Safe."

"Okay." She followed him for another minute. "Where are we going?"

He stopped. "Here."

Looking past him, she saw the iron door that led to the underground safe house. "Here?"

"Yes." He opened the door and ushered her in. "I'll bring you to the Fire Lord."

"How is this safer than the palace?" Izumi said. "Ever since the Hundred Year War, _everyone_ knows about this place."

Kanan shook his head, closing the door behind them. "No, Princess. Not this place." He looked up and down the hallway before taking a horse stance and thrusting his arms down.

The wall slid down into the ground, revealing an entirely new hallway. It was short, only about forty feet long. There were two steel doors on one side, three on the other, and a door at the end.

"_What?_" Izumi closed her eyes and shook her head, unsure she was actually seeing this. "How have I never heard of this?" She turned to Kanan. "How do _you_ know about this?"

"Avatar Aang literally just showed me. That was when I realized you and Pamel were missing." He placed his hand on her back and gently pushed her in before closing the wall back up.

Izumi stiffened. "Pamel! Where is she? I haven't seen her. She… she wasn't… wasn't there…"

He had a pained look on his face. "Pamel, along with a couple other members of the Royal Guard, was found dead," he said stiffly. "They died in the line of duty."

The line of duty. Like a soldier who had just been killed in battle, fulfilling their duty to their nation.

Pamel was dead.

"Oh." Izumi looked at each of the doors. "Where's Father?"

"He's in there." Kanan pointed to the closer of the two doors on the left. "The healers are with him now."

"I want to see him." She started to walk towards the door when Kanan placed a hand on her shoulder.

"You best not, Your Highness. You don't want to distract the healers, do you?"

"I won't be a distraction. I'll stand in the corner. I'll be as still as a piece of furniture."

"... Princess, your… _appearance_ is a bit startling at the moment. We really should get you cleaned up."

Oh. Right. She was covered in blood. Lots of blood. Also, her clothes were a mess. Ripped apart. Bloody and ripped apart.

She pulled Kanan's jacket tighter around herself. "Th-that's probably a good idea."

He guided her to the room next to her father's. When they got inside, Izumi was surprised to find that it was furnished with a bed, dresser, and even a mirror. What was even more astounding was the fact that everything was greyed with dust. "How long has this place been here?"

"I don't know. The Avatar didn't say." He grabbed the bronze wash basin off the dresser. "I'll get some water and towel. I'll be back in a second."

And then he was gone, leaving Izumi standing alone in the middle of the room. She looked around, staring at all of the dust. It really _was_ everywhere. She brushed a finger against the blanket of the bed and inspected the thick layer of fuzz. "I guess the housekeepers don't know about this place…" Of course, it looked like only earthbenders could get in and out, and she was pretty sure none of the current housekeepers were earthbenders.

She patted the bed, wiping off the dust in one spot as best she could while simultaneously waving away the dust in the air away. "I probably shouldn't be breathing all of this in..." Once she clear a large enough spot, she sat down and stared at the door.

_Why_ was she staring at the door?

Kanan had just left. He was getting water and a towel.

… Why? The room was certainly a mess but a single basin of water wasn't going to help much.

The door opened and Kanan stumbled in, looking more disheveled than he did before. "A hand-powered water pump… What on earth were they _thinking_?" He put the basin back on the dresser, a white towel hanging off the edge. "Here's also a bar of soap. You wash up. I'll grab you some fresh clothes."

Izumi didn't even notice him leave again. _Oh right, washing myself…_ When she actually thought about it, she did feel incredibly disgusting. She got up and walked to the dresser, which was when she saw herself in the mirror.

She didn't just look disgusting; she looked like something out of a horror story. The hair on her was matted down, dried blood splattered across her face. Her left eye was swollen and bruised and lip split. Only partially hidden by Kanan's jacket, her clothes were ripped and awry and also bloodstained.

She slid the jacket off, not wanting to get it dirty. As she placed it on the bed, she noticed her hands again. With a thin layer of dark reddish brown, she watched them carefully as she flexed her hands. There was something... _gratifying_ about the pulling sensation on her skin.

She needed to wash.

Turning back to the dresser - eyes avoiding the mirror - she focused on the basin. She slowly submerged her hands, keenly feeling the boundary between the cold water and the warm air.

And all she did was stare at them. They were slightly enlarged due to the refraction from the water. Even without scrubbing, some of the looser parts of the blood were gently drifting off.

Her father's blood.

She couldn't. Couldn't scrub. Couldn't clean. This was her father. Her father was literally on her hands and to scrub that away would be… would be…

A betrayal.

_"They were being stupid," Izumi stated petulantly._

_"So you've said," her father said. "Repeatedly."_

_"Well they **were**."_

_Zuko chuckled as he wiped off the remainder of the mud off Izumi's face. "Well, next time try just walking away."_

_"That doesn't work… They just follow me! And when I point out why they're wrong or being stupid, they just keep going!"_

_"Unfortunately, pointing out why people are wrong rarely actually changes their mind… There. All cleaned up. Are you sure you aren't hurt?"_

_"I'm fine. Just angry."_

_"Yes, I can tell." He sat up with a sigh. "What did they say, anyway?"_

_"They said I was a traitor's daughter. And that you're a scar face. They were wrong and I don't like them for being wrong."_

_He smiled. "Well, I'd like to think I'm not a traitor. Though technically they're not **wrong** in saying I'm a… um… a 'scar face'."_

_Izumi frowned. "No. They're wrong. You don't have a scar on your face."_

_Zuko looked at his daughter incredulously. "Izumi…" He gestured the left side of his face. "What do you think **this** is?"_

_"That's your face."_

_"It's a **scar**, sweetheart."_

_Izumi's eyes widened. "Really?"_

_"What did you **think** it was?"_

_"Your face."_

_He sighed. "Honey, it's a burn scar."_

_"If that's a scar…" she said thoughtfully, "... then that means you got hurt." She reached up to touch the scar, her face scrunched in distress. "Got hurt really badly."_

_Zuko nodded, allowing Izumi's probing fingers to trace the folds and boundary of the scar. "Yeah, but it was a looong time ago."_

_"What happened?"_

_"Um… Someone… hurt me."_

_She looked at him expectantly. "Right. But what happened?"_

_He placed his hand over Izumi's, gently pulling her hand down. "You're a bit young, Izumi."_

_"I'm five!"_

_"That's kind of my point."_

_She stuck her lips out and crossed her arms. "You tell me your face has this big scar that isn't your face, and you won't tell me why?"_

_"Izumi…"_

_"Please? You're my father. I want to know everything."_

_He smiled and rolled his eyes. "Agni, why are you so cute…?" he muttered. "C'mere." He picked her up, eliciting some delighted giggles, and placed her on his lap. "Alright…" He thought about it for a moment with a small frown. "This is not a straightforward story…"_

_"I'm patient."_

_"That, you are." He sighed. "I guess I'll start with Ozai…" He looked at Izumi. "You know who Ozai is, right?"_

_"He's the last Fire Lord. And a very very very very bad man."_

_"Yup. But did you know that he's my father?"_

_"No he's not. Grandfather Iroh is."_

_"Well… yes, but Ozai was my father before I realized what a bad man he was. He wasn't only a bad man, he was also a bad father."_

_Izumi nodded emphatically. "That makes sense." Then her eyes widened again. "Did **Ozai** hurt you!?"_

_"Now, what's the point of telling you a story when you're going to finish it for me?"_

_Izumi shrunk in on herself. "I'm sorry."_

_"Haha, that's okay." He cleared his throat and kept talking. "Now, when I was young, I saw that Ozai and his generals were planning on hurting people: a lot of people. So I spoke out against it. But because I was young, Ozai saw this is incredibly disrespectful. So he challenged me to an Agni Kai. Do you know what that is?"_

_"A firebending duel. It ends when one person manages to burn the other…" She gasped. "So he **DID** burn you! Why would he do that? He was your father!"_

_"I don't know. It's just one of many reasons he's a very bad man."_

_"That's why he's not your father anymore, right? Because that's when you realized he was a bad man?"_

_He hesitated. "Well… it took a bit longer than that. But in the long run, yes."_

_"But you'll **always** be **my** father," Izumi proclaimed. She sat up and wrapped his arms around his neck. "Because you'll always be a good man."_

_Zuko returned his daughter's embrace. "I will **never** hurt you. That much I can promise."_

_"Don't worry. You'll never have to challenge me to an Agni Kai. You're the best father, so I'll be the best daughter."_

_He squeezed her tightly. "You don't have to worry, Izumi," he said with his voice suspiciously wet. "You already are."_

_"Gah! Father…. Can't… Breathe…!"_

_"Oh, sorry!"_

Izumi's body shivered, sending small ripples through the water.

She couldn't do it. She couldn't protect herself, couldn't protect her family, couldn't stop her father's bleeding, couldn't save her grandfather, couldn't wash the filth, couldn't scrub her father away as if he was _part_ of that filth…

Something was wrong with her. A fundamental part of her was wrong, broken, missing, faulty, defective…

Why couldn't she _think_?

"Your Highness?"

Izumi jumped, spinning to find Kanan standing a few feet behind her, holding one of her dresses. "That was fast," she commented.

"I…" Kanan frowned. "I suppose." He placed the dress down on the bed. "I don't know much about women's clothing, but this seemed like the simplest."

"It's a nightgown."

"Oh." He took another look at it. "Fancy nightgown." He turned back to her, his gaze shifting between her face and her wet hands. His own expression softened as he came up to her and placed and hand on her shoulder. He turned her around and guided her to sit on the bed. "Let's get you cleaned up…"

Placing the dress on the bed, Kanan grabbed the towel and dumped it into the bowl to soak it. After he wrung out the excess water and rubbed some soap onto it, he knelt down in front of Izumi. "We'll clean off your hands first, then wash off your face. That sound good?"

She nodded without comprehension.

Kanan delicately lifted one of her hands, wrapping the towel around it before slowly starting to wipe the dried blood off.

Izumi looked away, ignoring the horrible pit in her stomach as Kanan wiped her father away. She stared at the contours of the stone wall, her eyes bouncing back and forth between the millions of tiny holes in the wall. She imagined the lava that had once been, flowing just as easily as the other three elements. She imagined herself melting into the stone, her body becoming liquid fire and being swept away by the slow rolling flow. All feeling would leave her body, all conscious thought and awareness would dissipate as she dissolved into the volcanic earth.

"Is it okay if I touch your face?"

Izumi turned back to Kanan who had paused in his ministrations. She looked down at her hands to find that they were clean up to her elbows. How much time had passed? Enough time for him to clean her arms?

Apparently.

"Princess?"

She looked back up to Kanan. "Where's Father?"

There was a brief moment before he responded. "He's right next door. We'll finish cleaning you up and then you can see him."

She nodded. "Okay." Taking the pink-stained towel from him, Izumi stood and dumped it into the water basin. After rubbing some more soap onto it, she scrubbed her face and neck down. It wasn't until everything was covered in a pinkish foam that she rinsed off the towel and her skin.

There was a noticeable difference afterwards. Her skin felt cooler and softer, and it was easier to turn her head and move her face. She would need an actual bath at some point, but that didn't seem likely to happen soon. So without further thought, she started to change her clothes. She tossed her ruined clothes to the side and grabbed the nightgown that Kanan had gotten for her. Even if it was informal, it wasn't too thin or revealing, so it would do for now.

A knock on the door had both of them turning. "It's me," Aang's voice said.

"C-Come in," Izumi said, tying up the last of her nightgown.

The door opened and Aang stepped in, his arm in a sling. His clothes were still bloody around his shoulder, but a white bandage was barely visible through a small tear in his clothing. He looked exceedingly tense, his eyes bloodshot and swollen as if he had been crying. However, he visibly relaxed upon seeing her. "Thank the spirits you're okay." He took a deep breath. "I hate to do this, but I really need to talk to you."

He probably wanted to ask her about the attack.

That was the _last_ thing she wanted to even think about. "I want to see Father."

"Oh, of course!" He stepped back with the door open. When she walked past him, he added, "You should also let a healer look you over."

"I'm fine," she said automatically. She was a little bruised and her brain didn't seem to be functioning properly, but otherwise, she _was_ fine. Besides, it wasn't important. Nothing matter until she saw her father. She had to see him. Then everything would okay. She was certain of it.

She entered without knocking. The room was empty except for a cabinet, a couple of chairs…

And her father... who was laying unconscious on a bed in the center of the room. He was laid out on his back, his arms straight by his side. It was an unnatural looking position for him to be in. His body was too still - like a corpse - and it wasn't until Izumi saw the barely noticeable rise and fall of his chest that she could breathe. He was pale, almost white, especially against the red blankets and sheets.

Red to hide the blood.

Izumi went to her father's side, delicately placing her hand on top of his. It was cold and rubbery, compelling her to grasp it in order to transfer her own warmth over to it.

"The healers say he's stable," Aang said, having just entered the room behind her. "Though they've never seen a wound like this before. It was like he was stabbed but… cleaner."

Izumi thought back to the man who had tried to rape her. There had been nothing clean about the wound she had inflicted upon him. She wondered what the others must have thought when they saw his body.

"But you shouldn't worry," Aang said with a gratingly artificial tone. "I already contacted Katara. She'll be in the Fire Nation in three days. If anyone can get Zuko back on his feet, it's her."

Izumi nodded without ever taking her eyes away from her father's face. "Thank you," she said without feeling particularly grateful.

"In the meantime… we need to make some decisions."

"Like what?"

"Like what we're supposed to do with… with Iroh's body."

Izumi head snapped up. Her grandfather was dead. How could she forget that? Or… _had_ she forgotten?

"Izumi, what should we be doing?"

She frowned at the question. It didn't make any sense. What was he talking about? And why was he asking _her_? "Wh-what do you mean?"

"Well… I don't know much about Fire Nation funereal practices. What do you usually do when a member of the Royal Family dies?"

The answer came easily from her. "When a member of the Royal Family passes away, the body is placed in a box which is decorated with possessions and trappings. His or her accomplishments are celebrated, the will read, and then the box and body are cremated by the Fire Sages."

Aang nodded slowly. "Okay. We're going to need to start preparations for Iroh's funeral..."

"No!" Izumi said quickly. "We can't! Not until Father's awake..."

"Izumi…" Aang said sympathetically. "We need to… _take care_ of the body. We don't know when Zuko will wake up."

"No," she repeated firmly. "We don't do anything until Father is awake."

"It's okay," Kanan said, standing behind Aang. "There are ways we can preserve the body for days, weeks, even months. We can wait."

Izumi gritted her teeth. "Stop referring to Grandfather as '_the body_'."

At least they both had the decency to look a little ashamed. "I'm sorry, Princess," Kanan said. "That was disrespectful of me."

Aang let out a long sigh. "There's something _else_ we need to discuss. I think you need to make an address to the Fire Nation.."

"_What!?_" Kanan spat.

"The palace - of over a _hundred_ of workers - is under lockdown. Word has already spread the throughout the city. We need to publicly announce what we know _before_ rumours start to spread."

"But why the princess!? Why not one of the advisors, or _you_? She's in no condition for a public appearance!"

"The Fire Nation's faith in the Royal Family is hanging by a _thread_," Aang stressed. "If anyone else makes the statement, it could look as though Zuko and Izumi are hiding behind us. Or worse, that they _were_ killed and that we're trying to take power."

"Don't be ridiculous. The people aren't going to automatically assume there's some nefarious plot!"

"A group of people killed Iroh and nearly killed me, Zuko, and Izumi! There _is_ a nefarious plot!"

"I'll do it," Izumi said.

They stopped bickering and turned to look at her. "Your Highness?" Kanan questioned.

Izumi stepped back and straightened. "When the Fire Lord is incapacitated, the person next in line for the throne will serve as the interim Fire Lord." This was something she could understand. Something she could fall into.

Something she could lose herself in.

Steeling her expression, Izumi nodded her head once in affirmation. "I'll do it."

* * *

**Criticisms of all kinds welcome as always.**


	10. Chapter 9

**Hey all!**

**I also wanted to address Aang's apparent out-of-character-ness last chapter. I know he might seem a little cold-hearted, but you're not getting his POV. He really is trying his best. He's not exactly in the greatest mindset. Iroh was his friend too.**

**I hope this chapter isn't too confusing. Izumi is pretty unstable at the moment, so writing from her POV can be tricky.**

**Enjoy Chapter 9!**

* * *

Izumi was functioning a haze.

In fact, she was certain that they were all functioning in a haze.

There was a formality about everything that was being said and done. It was both familiar and foreign. Inclusive, yet detached. Unseemly... yet entirely necessary.

They needed to compile all of the information they knew about the attack. After Aang managed to assure Izumi that the healers would look after her father, the three of them left the new safe house to meet with her father's advisors. On the way there, Aang filled in some of the blanks.

He had been attacked by one of the kitchen hands. The teenaged boy was supposed to have been serving Aang lunch when he stabbed him. While he had been caught off guard, Aang was able to quickly restrain the boy. The would-be assassin spat something about bringing Ozai back into power, which compelled Aang to check on Zuko, Iroh, and Izumi. When the healers and guards had come to the garden soon after, one of the guards had noted that one of the bodies belonged to one of the gardeners.

"What?" Izumi said. "That's impossible. I-I would have recognized him!"

Aang shook his head. "Maybe he was new?"

The guard's observation led Aang to suspect any member of the palace staff. If a kitchen hand and gardener were involved, who knew how many others were as well. With this in mind, he isolated the healers who were treating Zuko and led them to the new safe house.

"I would have preferred to keep the healers out, but with Zuko's condition, I didn't have much choice. They're not earth or firebenders, so they can't to leave or let anyone else in."

Izumi frowned. "Firebenders can get in and out?"

"Of course. Zuko was the one who designed it. It wouldn't be much of a safe house if he couldn't access it.

She nodded slowly. "I see..."

"I'll show you how to get in and out when we go back."

After making sure the healers and Zuko were enclosed in the safe house, Aang ran into Kanan, whom informed him that Izumi had disappeared. He tasked Kanan with finding the princess and bringing her to the safe house. He would have also search for Izumi, but had to make sure his children were safe first. Aang grabbed his children, Kuei, and Lang Hui and escorted them to safety.

"Why Kanan?" Izumi asked. "Why him but none of the others?"

"I know Zuko trusts him," Aang said simply. "Trusts him to protect you."

That was when they arrived at one of the palace's meeting rooms, Zuko's advisors waiting inside. They all converged on Izumi upon seeing her.

"Princess! Are you alright?"

"When we heard, we couldn't believe it! The Dragon of the West. Dead..."

"The Avatar won't let us see your father. What is his condition?"

Izumi slowly backed up, trusting that Kanan was right behind her. "T-Talk to Aang. He knows more than me."

From here, they all sat around a table. With Aang taking the lead more information was compiled, corrected, clarified... until the following picture was formed.

There were no staff missing. However, in the past week, four members of staff had informed the palace that they were either sick or had other obligations. Their replacements appeared to be the ones who had participated in the attack: two of which were confirmed dead, one of which was in custody, and one that had escaped. In addition to the search for the missing woman, investigations into both the staff members and the assailants were just beginning.

So far, the only additional information they had was that each assailant had a mysterious weapon: a small metal contraption that seemed function like a hand-sized cannon.

Izumi hardly moved throughout all of this, her elbows resting on the table and her chin and mouth resting on her clasping hands. She was largely laconic, only lifting her head to speak when they asked her direct questions. Other than that, she passively listened. There was no scrutinization or analysis of any of the information. She didn't even think she was capable of doing so. Her mind seemed to refuse to do anything except _absorb_. It as if a large portion of her brain was blocked.

It should have made her angry or frustrated, but she didn't have the energy to feel either.

Aang and the advisors had dissolved into bickering, arguing about what needed to be done, how to go about doing those things, and so on. At this point, Izumi had completely detached from the conversation, hiding in the emptiness inside of her. The emptiness should have been worrying... but she just couldn't seem care.

Eventually, a hand on her shoulder pulled her back out. Kanan was standing next to her, leaning down slightly. "Princess?"

Izumi blinked. "Yes?"

"You should prepare for your public appearance," Aang said. "We'll organize it and write a statement for you."

"Write a statement?" Izumi echoed.

Aang looked a little worried. "Get cleaned up and eat some food," he said, his voice softer. "We'll make the announcement in a couple hours."

"Oh." There didn't seem to be anything wrong with that. "Okay."

Kanan escorted her to the baths. She was about to walk in when she noticed that Kanan was right behind her. "What are you doing?" she asked.

"I will keep my back to you the entire time," he assured. "But I refuse to leave you alone right now."

Before, she would have absolutely refused this. This was ridiculous! She barely accepted her father's idea for the permanent guard!

But right now, she really couldn't give a damn.

"Fine. Whatever."

She bathed as she normally did. Undressing, scrubbing her skin and hair clean (taking extra care to continue until the water was no longer tinted with blood), drying off, and putting on a robe before making her way to her room.

Kanan did as he said and kept his back to her at all times, only turning around once Izumi left to go back to her room. When they got there, Izumi turned around and said, "Please stay outside."

"Princess…"

"_Please_. No one is going to make an attempt on my life right now. Not with the palace on high alert. And I just… _really_ need to be alone."

He pursed his lips. "Fine. But if I hear anything abnormal, I'm coming in."

Letting out a relieved sigh, Izumi nodded and went into her room, shutting the door behind her.

Izumi leaned her back against the door, her eyes surveying the room. It didn't seem any different than it had been this morning.. _Dear Agni, that was only four hours ago…_ The bed was still unmade, her previous night's gown strewn over the edge of it. Scrolls were scattered over her side table and desk in various states of rolled and unrolled.

This was her room, exactly as she had left it.

So why did it feel so _foreign_ to her?

Shivering, Izumi wrapped her arms around herself as she slowly walked toward her wardrobe. She placed a hand on the wardrobe door handle before she froze, her insides suddenly seizing. What if there was someone in here? What if she opened the door and that woman jumped out, slashing her throat open?

She quickly shook her head. That was _ridiculous_. She was being paranoid. To prove the point, she ripped the door open, her heart jumping into her throat in anticipation.

And nothing. Her normal clothes were neatly folded and hung, just like they always were.

_See? You're just being an idiot._

Her insides didn't seem to agree with her.

Focusing her eyes on a single spot along the wardrobe shelving, she took several slow, deep breathes, and continued to do so until the internal squirming settled a little. _You're fine_, she reassured herself. _Panicking isn't going to do me any good right now._

Once she had calmed, she took inventory of her clothing. She was making a public announcement. That meant she needed to wear something formal. Nothing fancy. In fact, the plainer the better. But it needed to emphasize both the seriousness of the situation and her current authority.

And it needed to be white…

A stab of horrible pain pierced her chest, eliciting a sharp gasp. Izumi pressed a hand to her heart as her breathing began to stutter. _What is **wrong** with you!? Pull yourself together!_ She rubbed her chest hard, as if to massage the very muscle itself. _You're no good to anyone if you collapse sniveling in the corner!_

Steeled with these thoughts, she forced herself to stand straight, clenching her hands at her sides and raising her chin. She could do this. She _would_ do this. She was stronger than this. She was better than this.

There was an outfit that was almost completely white with gold trimming, but it was _too_ white. Appropriate for a funeral, but not for this. Actually, now that she thought about it, now wasn't the time for mourning. Now was the time for leadership and action.

Mourning could wait. Once her father was awake… _then_ they could mourn. Together.

In the end, she pulled out her most formal robes. There were not unlike the traditional Fire Lord's attire, though it was slightly less grand and more fitted for a feminine physique.

She had never worn these before. There had never really been a need to. Her father abhorred the normal pomp of royalty, so there were rarely events to warrant such formality. She had been planning on wearing them for the first time during the Republic of Nations' commencement. It was an event that would change the world, so it had seemed fitting.

Now it seemed like such a silly sentiment.

But she couldn't just change her clothes. Clothes were a key part of the package to be sure, but still just a part. She also needed to do her make-up and hair. She didn't need a lot. Just enough to make her look refined.

After Izumi changed into the robes, she sat down and looked into the mirrors of her vanity. Her eyes widened upon seeing the darkening bruises and split lip. _Oh, right…_ Looks like she _would_ need a fair bit of make-up; at least, enough make-up to cover all of this up.

Pulling out all the appropriate supplies, she dabbed one of her brushes into the skin-coloured powder. Holding the brush up to her face, she was about to apply it when a thought occurred to her: _should_ she cover it? Lowering the brush, she studied herself in the mirror. What was the _point_ in hiding the damage? She was about to go out there and tell the world that her family had been attacked. Why should she hide evidence of that? It wasn't as if her father tried to cover up _his_ scar to spare the public.

Putting the brush back down, she picked up a much smaller brush along with a small container of black liquid..She just needed to outline her eyes. Maybe put a little bit of colour on her cheeks and lips to hide the gauntness.

Once Izumi finished, she sat up and looked over everything in the mirror. The richly coloured and angular robes framed her body perfectly, broadening her shoulders and lengthening her torso. While the undamaged side of her face looked refined, the injuries served to make her look fierce.

She hardly recognized herself.

Her shoulders dropped with her gaze. This was essentially the look she had been aiming for, but it made her feel... inapt. Unsuited for the challenges that lay before her.

Shaking her head and casting the thought away, Izumi reached down to her bottom drawer and opened it. She pulled out a small package wrapped in silk and placed it on the desk in front of her. Taking a deep breath, she slowly pulled the layers it, opening it like a lotus flower.

The crown heir's headpiece.

_"Here," her father said. "This is more yours than mine."_

_Izumi took the offered item delicately, examining it carefully. It was large, feeling more like a weapon than a decorative headpiece in her eight-year-old hands. "This looks like the headpiece Avatar Roku wore…"_

_"That's because it is."_

_Izumi frowned. "Why do **you** have it?"_

_"Well… technically, Uncle gave it to me. But in essence, it's been passed down the family. Avatar Roku is your Great-Great-Grandfather."_

_Her eyes widened. "Really?" She looked back down at it with a renewed sense of awe. But then a new thought occurred to her. "Why is it more mine than yours?"_

_"It actually used to belong to the Royal Family. It's a royal artifact, a symbol worn by the crown prince or princess. You're the crown princess."_

_She already knew that, but it had never really meant much to her before. Now that she was holding some physical indication of that status, it suddenly seemed so much more important. And it was made all the more important because it was **her father** that had given it to her. "Thank you, Father," she said, clutching the headpiece to her chest. "I'll take really really good care of it."_

_He smiled. "I'm sure you will. Do you want to try it on?"_

_She looked down at it in skepticism. "It's too big for me."_

_"Hmm… I suppose it is. But we can find a way to pin it to your hair."_

_Izumi shook her head. "No. I don't want to scratch it. And I don't want it to fall off and get dented or broken!"_

_Zuko chuckled. "It survived a volcano. I'm sure it'll survive whatever abuse you might put it through."_

_She shook her head more vigorously, squeezing the headpiece protectively to her chest. "But I don't want to abuse it! You gave it to me and I want to take care of it!"_

_"Alright, alright…" he said, holding his hands up defensively. "It's yours now, so you can do what you want with it."_

_Izumi smiled in triumph. She sat up and flung her arms around his neck, still gripping the headpiece tightly in her hand. "Thank you again, Father."_

_He returned the hug. "No problem, Izumi."_

It sat there innocently, an inanimate object with no sentience; no awareness of the chaos around it or the memory it was evoking.

This was a symbol of her status. It would serve as a visual reminder to all who would see her that she held the right to rule while her father was incapacitated.

She only hoped that the weight of it would be enough remind _her_ of that fact.

Pulling her hair back and up into a top knot, she carefully slid the headpiece over it, securing it with the hair-stick. Then she looked into the mirror, only to immediately look away. If she hadn't recognized the girl she saw before, the girl she saw now was downright _wrong_.

Regardless, now she was ready to address the nation, and by proxy, the world.

Izumi left her room, and when Kanan saw her, he looked mildly surprised. However, he also seemed a little sad.

This was _not_ the reaction she wanted. "Well?" she questioned, trying to elicit a verbal response.

He seemed reluctant to reply. "You look…" He paused. Finally, he let out a resigned sigh. "You look authoritative. Like a Fire Lord."

"Good." That's exactly what she wanted. "Let's go."

They walked in silence as they made their way to the large balcony that overlooked the main courtyard. It wasn't until they were almost there that Kanan let out a questioning, "Princess?"

She stopped and turned to him. "Yes?"

"You should eat something before your appearance."

She shook her head. "That's not necessary. I'm not hungry."

"You need to eat," Kanan said. "It's been over five hours since you ate last."

It seemed like both a very long and a very short time. "I'm not hungry," she repeated honestly. "Maybe afterward."

"Princess..."

"Kanan, I'm fine."

"No, you're not!" he said emphatically. "And you shouldn't be! There is nothing about all of this that you _should_ be okay with!"

"I'm not _okay_ with it!" Izumi shouted back. "But that doesn't mean I'm incapable of taking care of myself _and_ my country!"

He shook his head. "I never said that..."

"You implied it."

"No. I didn't." He stepped closer, his expression wrought with worry. "Izumi..."

"Don't call me that! Nothing gives you that right!"

He froze. Izumi thought – even hoped – that he might be surprised or hurt. Instead, the sadness only seemed to only deepen. "Your Highness," he corrected. "I am here to protect and serve you. _Nothing_ is more important to me."

Izumi waited, thinking he's say more, but she was left wanting. He simply stood at attention, his head slightly bowed in respect. She didn't know how to respond, but she couldn't help but feel a little shameful. "I-I'm sorry I yelled at you," she said quietly.

"It's alright."

From the other end of the hallway, Aang rounded the corner. He paused for a moment upon seeing her. "Izumi..."

She saw a small scroll in his hand. "Is that my statement?"

He looked down and slowly nodded. "Yes... It's short. It has what the public needs to know about what happened, and it assures them that the leadership is strong and the investigation ongoing." He handed it to her. "The courtyard is already flooded with people from the Capital. Zuko's advisors, King Kuei, and myself with stand with you."

"And Kanan," Izumi added.

"And of course, Kanan," Aang agreed. "You'll be introduced, go out, read the statement, and then Kanan will escort you out. All sound good?"

Izumi nodded. "Yes."

The public appearance was scheduled to happen in twenty minutes. When King Kuei and his advisors arrived, the advisors started fighting with Zuko's advisors and Aang. They were not please at being separated from their King. Aang tried to assure them that Kuei and Lang Hui were safer if they were kept away from everyone else, but they were having none of it. Even when King Kuei said it was fine, they didn't back down.

But none of this concerned Izumi. She leaned back against the wall, staring at the scroll in her hands. She probably should have been reading it through beforehand, but she wasn't entirely sure if she would even be _able_ to. Her eyes were having trouble focusing at the moment. Hopefully, she would be able to read and say the words when the time came. Choking in front of hundreds of her people wouldn't exactly demonstrate the everlasting strength of the Royal Family.

"Kanan?" she asked quietly, her voice an undercurrent of the arguing around her.

He stepped closer to her. "Yes, Princess?"

"You'll… You'll make sure I don't screw up, right?"

"You won't screw up, Your Highness."

"I mean it," Izumi said. "If I'm hurting my family more than I'm helping… Please get me out."

"That won't be necessary." A pause. "But I promise."

Her shoulders relaxed. Good. Now that there was a fail safe, she felt a little better.

"Enough!" Aang finally said. "We can argue about security _afterward_." Expression softening, he turned to Izumi. "Are you ready?"

The honest answer was _no_, but that wasn't acceptable. Straightening her robes, she stood upright and nodded. "I'm ready."

It wasn't clear how it had happened. One moment she was standing proud inside the safety of the palace halls, and then the next, she was at the edge of the balcony, staring at hundreds - maybe thousands - of people.

Her breath caught in her throat. Suddenly feeling neck-deep in flooding waters, she shakily opened the scroll. The hushed murmur of the people was more oppressive than if they had all been speaking out at once. They were all waiting for her to speak: to explain.

Finally working the scroll open, she quickly began to read, her voice easily carrying over the crowd. "Ever since Fire Lord Ozai was deposed, there have been those in the Fire Nation who have been displeased by both the change in leadership and the status of the Fire Nation in this postbellum era. There are also those who have actively sought revenge against my family and... our nation…"

Her voice petered off. What on earth was she _reading_? This was wrong. This wasn't her, this wasn't the attack… It was just politics.

Rolling the scroll back up, she placed it on the railing in front of her. She didn't need the stupid statement. She knew what had happened. She had _been there_. All she needed to do was tell the truth. "None of you can see me right now… But if you could, you would see that I've been beaten. I was beaten by one of four attackers. These attackers infiltrated the palace and tried to assassinate not only me, but Avatar Aang, Fire Lord Zuko, and the retired General Iroh."

Izumi paused here, hating herself for what she was about to say; it felt as though saying the words aloud would somehow make them even more true. "The man that many knew as the Dragon of the West…" she said, her voice breaking. "The man I considered to be a grandfather… is dead."

There was a collective reaction of gasps and disquieted murmurs that rose from the courtyard. In a way, it was a relief to see that the people regarded her grandfather with such affection. But at the same time, anger gripped her. What right did any of these people have to grieve for _her_ family?

"My father was also seriously injured," she continued, focusing on the words rather than the feelings. "He is stable now, and I will serve as Fire Lord in his place until he has fully recovered.

"The men who did this were supporters of Ozai's regime, and wanted to remove all of those who would stand in the way of his return to power. While we do not know specifically who was responsible for this attack, I have one thing to say to them and to the people of the world: you _failed_. Out of the four people you targeted, you only managed to kill _one_. And that was a deadly mistake on your part. If you had killed all of us, you might have been safe. But instead, you've have made yourself a _very_ dangerous enemy. We _will_ find you. And when we do, I will make you _pay_ for the pain you have caused my family."

A pair of hands suddenly grabbed Izumi's shoulders, making her jump and stiffen. It was Aang, gently pulling her to the side. "The investigation is ongoing," he said. "Once we find those responsible, we will prosecute them appropriately in accordance to the law."

She frowned slightly. Why did Aang stop her? Did she say something wrong? True, she didn't stick with the what the scroll said, but nothing she had said had been untrue or scandalous.

Right?

Kanan quickly led her off the balcony back inside. Everyone else remained as the Avatar continued to address the people. Her people.

What was she _doing_?

Once they were far away from any other people, Izumi asked, "Did I screw up?"

"No," Kanan said firmly. He turned around to face her. "I think you may have surprised those stuck-up stooges, but I think you did very well."

"Then why did Aang stop me?"

"You spoke from your heart. That resonates with the people. Sometimes... it can resonate a little _too_ much. And that can scare them. The Avatar was just... making sure you didn't go overboard."

"Oh. Okay then."

Kanan smiled. "You have nothing to worry about. You did _fine_." Then he looked down slightly, his smiling fading. "Princess… could I see your hand?"

"My hand?" Izumi looked down and found her right hand bloody. "_What?_" she gasped. "When did…?"

_Blood gushed out of the wound, flowing over her hands. It was though she was pushing his life blood straight out of his body._

Suddenly she was shaking, seemingly unable to draw breath. "N-No…" she whimpered, her legs crumbling beneath her. "P-Please…"

"Princess! It's okay!" Kanan fell to the ground with her, hands comfortingly on her arms. "It's not that bad. Nothing a bit clean water and bandage can't take care of."

Izumi frowned. _What__?_ Looking at her hand again, she saw four moon-shaped cuts in her palm.

Cuts. Her blood. Not her father's.

Izumi let out a shaky sigh. She must have been squeezing her nails into her fist during the public appearance. "I-I-I didn't even n-notice…"

Kanan nodded absentmindedly. "That's okay… You have a lot on your mind right now."

"I…" She licked her lips. "I didn't notice that I had hurt myself…"

"I know." He looked around, probably to see if anyone else was witnessing this scene. "You desperately need to rest..." He turned back to her. "Let's go back and get you patched up. Okay?"

Izumi nodded, still staring at the small blotches and lines of blood that had emanated from those cuts. Her vision swayed slightly, a wave of nausea rolling over her.

This was all just so _wrong_.

Cradling her hand to her chest, she asked, her voice barely above a whisper, "Wh-where's Father…?"

Kanan didn't respond or move at first. For a moment, Izumi wondered if he had even heard her. But then he shifted to the side a wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

"I'll take you to him."

* * *

**Criticisms of all kinds welcome as always.**


	11. Chapter 10

**Hey all!**

**I just wanted to thank everyone for the support and feedback. It means more to me than you can know.**

**Enjoy Chapter 10!**

* * *

_It was a clear, spring day. The sun was high in the sky with only the occasional wisp of a cloud ever eclipsing it. A cool breeze from the western ocean blew through the trees, creating a soothing rustling in the background._

_Izumi sat in front of the Pai Sho table, hand on her chin as she thought through her next move. "I think you have me cornered…"_

_"Nonsense," her grandfather said, sipping his tea. "You're just not thinking through all your possibilities."_

_She stared at each piece, working out every possible set of moves that could follow from that piece. Eventually, she closed her eyes with a growl of frustration. "I can't figure it out."_

_"Yes you can. You just need to approach it from a different angle."_

_Izumi sighed. "**What** different angle?" She looked back up._

_Her grandfather was gone, replaced by a splatter of blood that reached across the Pai Sho table._

_Izumi jumped away with a horrified gasp, her hand clutched to her chest above her pounding heart. She slowly stepped backwards, looking around the garden. "G-Grandfather…?" she said, her voice but a whimper. That wasn't his blood. It **couldn't** be._

_Her back suddenly hit something, making her spin around. Her throat closed up at the sight of her father standing over her. His torso was soaked in dark red, but it was his expression that made Izumi's blood freeze. His lip was curled in disgust and his eyes were staring at her in hateful disapproval. When he opened his mouth to speak, a line of blood leaked down his chin._

_"This is all your fault."_

Izumi's eyes snapped open, her hand reflexively gripping the stone ground. For a moment, she couldn't even breathe, her eyes wide and fixed as they stared at the echo of her nightmare. It was beyond nauseating. While she had often seen such an expression on her father as he spoke to some of the more small-minded people in his court...

She had never seen it directed at _her_.

Curling in on herself, she pressed her hands to her chest, trying to calm her stuttered breathing and palpitating heart. _I'm so sorry…_ she silently told the image of her father.

There was a familiar rumble, and Izumi looked up to see Druk's head mere inches from her own. She managed a half-hearted smile. "I'm okay…" she said quietly, resting a hand on his snout.

It had been three days since the attack. In those three days, Izumi had fallen into a tenuous pattern. In her every waking moment, she would stay by her father's side, either holding his held his hand, staring at his too-peaceful expression, watching the agonizingly slow rise and fall of his chest…

Kanan had quickly realized that convincing her to leave to eat or sleep was a futile task, so he always brought her meals to her. They were usually left untouched, but it was better than nothing. Kanan had also had a bed moved into the corner of her father's room. Now there were really only three reasons Izumi ever left.

The first was to relieve herself. Even though he was unconscious, Izumi still found the idea of doing her business in front of her father to be incredibly disrespectful, if not completely mortifying.

The second reason was to attend meetings with Aang, Kuei, and all the advisors. They were always filled with quarreling and petty politics, and seemed to be a complete waste of time. But while it pained Izumi to be away from her father, she was determined to fulfill her role as interim Fire Lord to the best of her ability. Her presence was essentially useless, but it still felt important for her to be there as a physical reminder that the Royal Family was still here and still strong.

The third and final reason was to avoid seeing the healers treating her father's wounds. The sight of the blood, the wet noises that were made as they re-cleaned the wound… it was too much for her. The sight - or even thought - of the healers messing with her fathers insides were overwhelming, so whenever the healers came, Izumi would go to the stables and lie beside Druk. Kanan would always stay outside the stables, partially to give her privacy, partially because Druk had become _incredibly_ protective.

After waking up from his drug-induced slumber, Druk apparently had stormed the palace (or at least, the parts he could fit into), trying to find Zuko or Izumi. It took over a dozen staff members to calm him down. Now any time he saw Izumi, he would wrap his body around her and snarl at anyone who would come near.

Besides all of this, the only other notable change in Izumi's life was the sheer amount of _sleep_ she was getting. The night after the attack, she slept for a full seventeen hours. The next day, she took a five hour nap in the afternoon, and slept for thirteen hours the following night. Even though she wasn't really doing anythings, he couldn't seem shake off this bone-deep exhaustion. In the last few days, she was spending three-quarters of the time asleep.

Which was why she wasn't surprised to be waking up on the floor of the stables, Druk's body completely encircling her.

Druk suddenly lifted his head and growled at someone outside. "Druk...?" Izumi questioned.

"Easy boy…" Kanan's voice said. "It's just me..."

Rubbing her eyes, she sat up and patted a hand against the dragon's side. "It's okay…"

Druk uncurled his body so that Kanan could see Izumi, but he kept his head level with the guard, his teeth bared.

Kanan leaned slightly away, avoiding eye contact. "Princess, I thought I should let you know: Master Katara has just arrived in the Capital."

"Really?" Izumi scrambled to her feet. They hadn't been expecting Katara to arrive until the evening. "What time is it?"

"It's nearly sunset."

"... Oh." She rested a hand on Druk's neck. "Stay here. I'll be back later."

He nudged her arm gently with his snout with a low rumble before giving Kanan one last glare.

Izumi turned to Kanan. "Take me to her."

When they arrived at the courtyard, they saw the whole family: Aang standing to the side with Katara on her knees tightly hugging her children. "I missed you guys _sooo_ much!" she said.

"We missed you too..." Bumi said.

What was a more surprising sight was Toph and Sokka standing off to the side. When he saw Izumi, Sokka gave a small smile. "Hey, kiddo. How are you holding up?"

"I'm… fine. What are you guys doing here?"

"We're here to help in any way we can," Sokka said simply. "I couldn't believe it when I heard… I thought sure Iroh was going to live forever."

Izumi squirmed uncomfortably. _Don't think about it._ "Well… It's nice to see you again. I'm sure Father will… will be happy to see you guys as well..."

He placed a hand on Izumi's shoulder. "Really, Izumi. If there's anything we can do…"

She shrugged him off. "Thanks," she said lamely.

"Well I already know something _I_ can do," Toph said. "I hear you might have some traitors in your midsts. I'm here to help."

Izumi frowned. "You want to help with the investigation?"

"Unless you happen to have an earthbender as good as I am - which I know you don't - I figured I could be useful in picking out the liars and uncovering the truth."

Izumi smiled. She had completely forgotten that Toph was about to detect lies via her earthbending. "Th-that would be fantastic," she said. "Thank you.

Toph shrugged. "It'll be good practice before I officially become chief of police." Then her voice lowered slightly. "Also... this means I get first swing at the people responsible for this."

It was at this point that Katara had stood back up. When Izumi turned to her, she saw that Katara's expression fell from the happiness at seeing her children to the sadness of their circumstances. It was a look Izumi was getting tired of seeing.

"Oh Izumi…" Her eyes were filled with concern as she walked forward and hugged Izumi tightly. "I am _so_ sorry…"

Izumi stiffened in her arms. It felt wrong. Not in an emotional way... just a purely physical one.

Why was there a gigantic bulge pressing against her stomach?

"You're pregnant," Izumi stated, a bit dumbfounded.

Katara leaned back with a look of slight confusion. "Yes… You didn't know?"

Izumi's eyes flickered to Aang, who looked a little sheepish. "A-Aang had just said you weren't feeling well…"

There was a brief flash of anger in Katara's eyes, but it was gone as quickly as it had come. "Well, that's not important right now. Why don't you take me to your father."

A member of the Royal Guard escorted Toph to where all the interrogations were taking place while everyone else went to the safe house. Kanan, Sokka, and Aang carried everyone's luggage into the appropriate rooms while Izumi and Katara went straight to Zuko.

Once the door was closed behind them, Izumi stood next to her own bed in the corner. She was determined to stay in the room while Katara treated Zuko. Katara was the best healer in the world, and Izumi wanted to be there to get the immediate prognosis from her.

Her fists were clenched at her sides, causing small stabs of pain as she squeezed the healing cuts in her palm. But it was a _good_ sort of pain. The kind of pain that relieved some of anxiety and fear that have been crushing her for the last three days. The kind of pain that kept her in the present. The kind of pain that kept her sane.

Her father had ceased bleeding after the first day, so the bandages weren't soaked in red as Katara peeled them back.

Good. No panicking yet.

"It looks infected…" Katara said. "Doesn't look too bad, though." She gently probed the edges of the wound.

Izumi quickly turned away. "The h-healers saw that and started to treat it with some honey…"

"Yes, I can see that."

Out of the corner of her eye, Izumi saw Katara pull water from a basin in the corner. The water glowed blue as she waved her hands over the wound and slowly pressed downward. Izumi focused on Katara's expression instead of her hands, carefully examining it for any telling signs.

After about five minutes of focused bending, Katara relaxed and pulled the water away. After applying a new poultice and bandage, she grabbed a nearby chair and sat down with a heavy sigh, a visible sheen of sweat on her brow. "It seems to be healing nicely," she noted. "The healers here did a good job. With a little added help from my bending, the wound should be mostly healed in a week or so."

At first, Izumi physically relaxed at the news, but Katara's persistent frown made her chest constrict painfully. "Well that's good…" Izumi said. "Right?"

Katara looked at Zuko's head, examining the small cut and bruise on his temple. "He took a blow to the head?"

_Her father was rolled onto his side, his arm outstretched where he had released the deadly bolt. His breathing was labored and expression twisted in rage._

_"What!?" The woman ran to him and thrashed his head with her contraption, knocking him out cold. "Just **die**!"_

"Yes," Izumi choked out. "Th-the woman hit him with the… the… metal thing…"

Her hands wreathed in water again, Katara placed them on either side of Zuko's head, rotating them in small circles. "He must have suffered some internal damage. That would explain why he hasn't woken up yet."

_Internal damage._ The words echoed cruelly in Izumi's mind. "You mean… to his brain?"

Katara nodded absentmindedly, her focus on Zuko. "I don't sense any bleeding, which is good. No large chi-blockages or leaks either. Good. This is is all good…" she said, more to herself than to Izumi.

"When will he wake up?" Izumi asked tentatively.

Katara let out a deep sigh. "It's hard to say. I'll have a better idea once I've been treating him for a couple of days." When she turned and looked at Izumi, suddenly smiled brightly. "But don't worry. Your father is going to be fine. I'd be surprised if he wasn't awake by next week!"

The fake cheer grated on Izumi's nerves, making her want to claw her own skin off. "You just said you have no idea when he'll wake up," she pointed out.

"Well… yes, but that doesn't mean you should give up hope! Zuko is the most stubborn man I've ever met. He'll be up and around before you know it."

Izumi's inner flame flared up inside of her, and she was suddenly imagining herself boiling Katara's face off. "You're either treating me like a child, or like I'm an imbecile," Izumi growled out. "Either way, I'd appreciate if you'd cease."

"What?" Katara quickly shook her head. "I'm not doing that at all! I think you're misunderstanding me…"

"I'm not misunderstanding you," she stated. "You're lying to me to make me feel better. I'd rather you didn't."

"Izumi!" Katara chided. "I am _not_ lying to you."

"So you're telling me that you _actually_ believe that Father will wake up in a week?" Izumi asked skeptically. "Look me in the eye and tell me that he's is going to be okay!"

Katara frowned slightly, looking slightly bewildered by Izumi's behaviour. But then she schooled her expression and nodded. "I promise, he's going to be fine."

Rather than calming Izumi down, the confident statement only served to fuel this dark feeling that was slowly rising up in her body. Her hands shaking, Izumi shook her head with a sardonic smile. "You're still lying." She went to her father's side and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Do you need to treat Father anymore right now?"

"No… But Izumi, I think you're…"

"Then get out."

"Izumi, just wait…"

"I said GET OUT!"

At first, Izumi thought Katara would try to speak again, try to continue lying to her. But to her relief, Katara gave a small nod and began to leave. When she opened the door, she paused and said, "I'll be right across the hall if you need anything. I'll check over Zuko again tomorrow morning." Then she was gone. the door closed behind her.

Izumi physically relaxed, leaning heavily against the bed. She closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around herself. _You're okay, you're okay…_ Rubbing her arms, she slowly sat down, forcing herself to breathe slowly.

Her father had internal damage. That was why he hadn't woken up yet. His brain was damaged.

Damaged by that woman.

Damaged because he had tried to protect _her_.

Her eyes burned and she felt thin lines of liquid fall down her face, but she refused to acknowledge them. With a deep breath, she grabbed her father's hand.

She stared at his too peaceful expression.

She watched the rise and fall of his chest.

And she let her mind go blank.

* * *

With every day that passed, the more apprehensive everyone became about the twentieth anniversary. It had been two days after Katara's arrival, and Zuko showed no sign of waking up. While all of his physical wounds were continuing to heal, he seemed trapped in this coma. Katara worked on him several times a day, and while she seemed hopeful, Izumi couldn't help but feel more and more wretched with every passing hour.

At first, Aang had suggest that they postpone the United Republic's commencement until Zuko was fully recovered. However, almost everyone - including Izumi - had immediately rejected this idea.

"The commencement was scheduled for this anniversary for a reason," Izumi had said. "It's an important symbolic gesture that shows just how far all the Fire Nation and Earth Kingdom people have come since the end of the war."

Aang had sighed. "I'm inclined to agree with you, but I don't see what good that will do us if Zuko isn't there."

"I'm acting Fire Lord. As long as the current leader is at the ceremony, the symbolism will remain intact."

"I suppose…" he had said reluctantly.

It was at this point that Izumi began to realize that the adults around had their doubts about her serving as interim Fire Lord. For the most part, this was only evident in the small things: Aang saying she should skip the meetings and rest, Katara telling her not to worry so much about handling Fire Nation administration, and Lang Hui making snide remarks about Izumi being a child.

Izumi tried to ignore it all. She tried to maintain her hold on this unstable pattern she had carved out for herself. There wasn't any reason for everyone to be so worried about her. It wasn't as if she were negotiating the partition of land or organizing the potential exodus of people from the Fire Nation. Really, she was little more than a figurehead, which she was more than capable of handling.

However, the fifth day after the attack was when everything began to fall apart.

With only a week remaining before the twentieth anniversary, they had begun to do some rehearsals. Aang worked on the speeches with Kuei while Sokka coached Izumi.

"They may seem overly-formalized and dull…" Sokka was saying, "... but you _really_ need to stick with the speech we give you. At an event like this, every word is going to be scrutinized and pulled apart by the public."

Izumi sighed, realizing he was referring to her early public appearance. "I understand that. It's just that after the attack…" She paused, trying to remember what her motivations had been during her public appearance. Finally, she shook her head. "I won't screw this up," she promised.

"I'm not worried about you '_screwing up_'. I'm just giving you some pointers. Aang, Zuko, and I all had to learn these things the hard way. You're lucky that you don't have too."

Lucky. Not exactly the word she would use to describe herself at the moment. "I had no idea this was all so… complicated."

"What do you mean?"

Her fingers nervously tapped the top of her thigh. "Well, I knew that the politics involved with the negotiations, the Fire Nation's relationship with the Earth Kingdom and Water Tribes, maintaining control of all the Fire Nation provinces... is all incredibly complicated. At least, I knew this intellectually. But now that I have to personally _deal_ with all of this - even if just on the periphery - it just all seems so incomprehensible."

At the other end of the table, Izumi heard Kuei loudly sigh. "That's reassuring…" he said sarcastically.

Sokka sat up and glared at him. "I don't recall _you_ being all that competent as a leader when you finally started actually governing."

"I wasn't a fifteen year old child when I finally started governing," Kuei responded. "That's why I had the Grand Secretariat."

Sokka rolled his eyes. "Yes, and that worked out _soooo_ well."

"My father was only seventeen when he became Fire Lord," Izumi pointed out.

"Yes, well _anyone_ would have been better than Ozia," Kuei said. "And frankly, Zuko had been much more mature than his own age."

Why did everyone insist on treating her like a child? Her father had been seventeen during Sozin's Comet. Aang had only been _thirteen_. Was it so hard to believe that a she was able to handle these responsibilities? "Well _frankly_, it doesn't matter what you think. For all intents and purposes, I am acting Fire Lord. I will serve as such in accordance to Fire Nation law."

Kuei didn't look happy, but didn't seem to have a counterargument.

"Besides…" Izumi continued. "I'm going to be Fire Lord some day. I might as well starting learning now, don't you think?"

Kuei shook his head. "This is a waste of time. When Fire Lord Zuko wakes up - "

Izumi slammed her fist on the table. "And what if he _doesn't_ wake up?!" She hit her chest with the palm of her hand. "What if _this_ is what you have for a Fire Lord from now on?!"

The stark silence that followed was deafening. The combination of shock and forlorn on everyone's faces sent a wave of disquiet through her. It was another moment before she realized what she had just said.

What if her father never woke up?

There was a sense of disembodiment as Izumi turned and quickly left. If any of the others said anything, she couldn't hear it over the harsh roaring in her ears. There wasn't anything that could penetrate the sudden fog she had lost herself in. Not even Kanan.

Somehow, Izumi had made her way back to the safe house. Sending a quick stream of fire into a hidden hole in the wall, she entered and went into her father's room, closing the door behind her.

Once she was there, the fog suddenly lifted and she became keenly aware of her heavy breathing and trembling body as she leaned against the cold metal door. For a moment, she didn't move, almost afraid of what she might see. But then she slowly turned her head to look at her father, who was in the exact position he had been for the last week.

"I'm not like you," Izumi said quietly.

She waited a moment, as if waiting for a response. Of course, none came.

"Kuei is right: you're a much better Fire Lord than I'll ever be." She began to pace the room, her arms wrapped around her chest. "You helped end the war. You realized that the Harmony Restoration Movement was hurting families and stopped it. You came up with the idea for the United Republic, a place where people of all nations could feel welcomed. And you did _all_ of this in the first ten years of your reign. You did this _in addition_ to finding your mother, mourning the death of your wife, and raising me…"

Izumi stopped and looked at her father's face. "You had one of the crappiest childhoods imaginable, and you still grew up to do great things. I've been privileged and spoiled, and I can't even manage to keep my head straight…" Her trembling increased and her eyes began to burn with fresh tears. "I can't do this," she admitted quietly. "I can't be a good Fire Lord. I can't be an _adequate_ Fire Lord."

She stood at the foot of her father's bed and faced him fully. "You have to wake up," she said, her voice breaking. "You h-have to get up and d-do your job… because I'm just screwing everything up." She gripped the footboard so tightly her knuckles turned white. "You have to wake up," she said again. "Do you hear me? You _have_ to wake up!"

There was no response. There was only the slow rise and fall of his chest.

Izumi squeezed her eyes closed, shaking her head vigorously. "I-I can't d-do this without you…!" she sobbed. "You can't le-leave me alone like this! I'm not like you! I'm not strong like you! If I were like you, Grandfather would still be alive and you wouldn't be laying in this hospital bed!"

She collapsed to her knees, her hands still gripping the footboard as if it would save her from drowning. "This is all my f-fault…" she whispered to herself. "This is all my fault..."

Vision almost completely obscured with tears, she looked back up at her father. "I'm sorry," she said, her voice strained with grief. "I d-don't care if you blame me or even h-hate me… I'll do anything. Just please get up," she begged. "Please…"

Izumi waited in vain hope for some sort of response. A word. A whisper. A moan. But all she was met with was silence.

Which... really... was the most agonizing thing she had ever heard.

* * *

**Criticisms of all kinds welcome as always.**


	12. Chapter 11

**Hey all!**

**So I thought this chapter was going to be easy to write because I already knew exactly what I was going to write about.**

**Nope. Not even close. It's freakin' hard to write emotionally unstable characters. I hope this chapter lives up to expectations...**

**Enjoy Chapter 11!**

* * *

There was a knock on the door before it slowly opened. "Princess?"

Izumi was curled on her bed, her back against the wall and a scroll across her lap. She looked up and saw Kanan peeking his head in. "You can come in."

Kanan came in with a slight bow. Giving a brief glance at her father, he asked, "How are you holding up?"

_How do you think?!_ is what she wanted to say. But that would require more energy than she could spare. "I'm fine."

He came up to stand next to her, "I wanted to inform you… that…" he stopped, frowning slightly as he looked at the scroll on her lap. "Is that the same scroll? The one about Fire Nation line of successions?"

Izumi quickly rolled it back up, hoping he didn't notice that she was on the same page that she had been on this morning. She didn't want to have to explain that she was having an inordinate amount of trouble reading even the simplest of characters. "I… was hoping to find legal precedence: in case Kuei or his harpy question my authority again."

Kanan's expression darkened slightly. "King Kuei had no right to say that to you yesterday."

"No, he had _every_ right," she countered. "He's a world leader who brought up valid concerns about a fellow world leader. He not only has the right, he has the responsibility to question me. Of course, I _also_ have the right to defend myself legally."

Kanan nodded slowly. "I suppose you're right…"

Placing the scroll aside, Izumi swung her legs off the bed and sat up straight. "You were saying?"

"Oh. I came to inform you... the investigations have all been completed. If you're up for it, Chief Beifong is going to debrief everyone."

_If she was **up** for it? What sort of question was that?_ Izumi stood and immediately started walking. "Where?"

"The door at the end of the hall," Kanan said, following closely behind her.

This would be the first time Izumi had entered this particular room. Granted, she had only entered her father's and own room. It was larger than the bedrooms, with a circular table and cabinets lining the walls. It was probably supposed to serve as a war room in the event that the palace was under siege.

Aang, Sokka, and Toph were standing around the table; Aang and Sokka turned toward Izumi as she entered. "Izumi," Aang said. "How are you doing?"

"Kanan said you've finished the investigations," she said, ignoring the question. "Do you know who was responsible? How much of the staff was involved?"

"Yeah…" Aang said. He stepped forward and placed a hand on her arm. "Why don't you sit down?"

Izumi shrugged him off. "I don't want to sit down. I want you to tell me what you know."

"We basically know everything," Toph said.

"Toph…" Aang warned.

"Oh come on, Aang. Izumi clearly has no patience for your '_Katara_' routine."

That was when Izumi noticed the waterbender's absence. "Where _is_ Katara…?" Izumi asked.

"Kya's not feeling well so Katara is taking care of her," Aang said.

"Regardless…" Toph went on, "... Most of your staff had nothing to do with the attack. In fact, even those four staff members - the ones that had taken the day off the day of the assassination - weren't involved."

"Weren't involved?" Izumi repeated. "What do you mean? Their replacements were the ones that tried to kill us!"

Toph held her hands out. "Okay, maybe I should start from the top." She sat down, folding her hands together on top of the table and leaning forward in a serious manner. "I was present for all of the interrogations. Every single person claimed they had no idea the attack was even going to occur, and every single person was telling the truth. Except for one: Yinzo, the man in charge of the palace staff. Turns out he's a longstanding member of the New Ozai Society."

Izumi suddenly felt very small, her skin going numb. _Yinzo?_

"After that, the pieces fell into place," Toph went on. "He was in charge of the entire staff's schedules and responsibilities. He also had complete control of who replaced whom in case of sickness or emergencies. Those four staff members that '_took the day off_' - a gardener, a housekeeper, a stable hand, and a kitchen hand - they weren't involved. They had been killed."

"... Killed?" Izumi echoed in disbelief.

Toph nodded. "We found them dead in their homes. Along with their families. Yinzo had set it up so their replacements were also members of the New Ozai Society."

It was at this point that Izumi sat down. She didn't know any of these people personally, but she still felt the weight of their murders heavily on her shoulders. Four people. Four people and their families. Pamel. Those other members of the Royal Guard. Her grandfather...

All dead because people wanted to destroy her family. Did these people really think her family was worth so many lives?

The thought made her want to vomit.

"After so many years, Yinzo would be very well-versed in your patterns and habits," Toph said, her voice hardening the longer she spoke. "He must have assumed that you, Zuko, and Iroh would be somewhere isolated and relaxing once the negotiations had all ended. So he took his chance, killing the optimal staff and setting everything into motion."

Half an hour ago, there was _nothing_ Izumi wanted to know more than who was responsible for the attack. Now that she knew, she wondered why she wanted to know something so horrible.

"What about those weapons?" Sokka asked. "Do we know where they got them?"

Toph shrugged. "There are plenty of people in the New Ozai Society. Any number of them could be engineers or inventors."

"Where is Yinzo now?" Izumi asked.

"He's under arrest, confined to his room at the moment. We'll move him to the Capital City Prison tonight."

Izumi nodded. "Okay." She stood and turned to leave.

"Izumi?" Sokka asked. "Where are you going?"

"Back to Father," she said, her voice shaking. "I-I need to think..."

"Are you alright?" Aang asked.

"Will everyone _please_ stop asking me that?" Izumi asked exasperatedly. "I'm fine. If that ever changes, I'll let everyone know!"

She left without waiting for a response (something she has been doing a lot in the last few days). She was about to yank her father's door open when Kanan stopped her. "Your Highness?"

"What?!" she snapped.

He looked taken aback for a moment, but quickly recovered. "Would you like me to let you know if the Avatar or the others wish to speak with you again?"

"No. I want to be left alone." She paused for a moment. "But I still want to know what they're talking about." She turned her head towards Kanan. "Would you go back for me?"

"You… want me to attend the rest of the debriefing? I don't know if there's much else to learn…"

"Still... If there is, I want to know."

Kanan looked hesitant, reluctant to be that far from Izumi's side.

"I'm not going anywhere," Izumi assured him. "I'm safe here. And I… I'm too overwhelmed to go back."

For a moment, she thought Kanan might refuse. But after a moment of contemplation, Kanan gave a small nod. "Very well, Princess."

He turned to go back to the meeting room, and Izumi retreated into the safety of her father's room. She sat on her bed, tucked her legs up against her chest with her arms wrapped around them and her chin resting on top.

_Yinzo was a member of the New Ozai Society._

It was hard to imagine. Yinzo was strict, but had always seemed well-meaning. The thought of him as part of a criminal organization was almost laughable.

_Yinzo was responsible for the death of over a dozen innocent people._

Izumi looked down at her hands. It wasn't enough that the New Ozai Society killed members of staff. They had to kill their families too? Their spouses, their _children_...?

_Yinzo killed her grandfather._

She closed her eyes. Out of all the ways he could have died, that had been the absolute worst. He should have died peacefully. Or at the very least died _fighting_. Instead he had been forced to die yielding to the enemy.

_Yinzo put her father here._

It wasn't until a choked sob bubbled out of her that she realized that she was trembling and her breathing was uneven. She let out a disgusted sigh. This seemed to be a common state for her lately: hyperventilating and shaking. Yet another quirk to add to the growing list of new habits she had acquired.

But there was something else going on. It wasn't just the crushing anxiety and stabbing grief. There was also this _burning_ sensation inside of her. It kept seizing her body and compelling her to violently do _something_. Fling a plate into a wall, burn a table to ashes, break someone's arm, eviscerate a traitor…

Izumi quickly shook her head in disgust. What on earth was she thinking? This wasn't like her. She wasn't this _vicious_.

But then her eyes looked passed her hands, her father's prone body coming into focus. The image had already burned into her brain after hours upon hours of staring, hours of slowly dwindling hope that he would wake up at any moment, look at her, and tell her that it was going to be okay.

Yinzo had put her father here.

Yinzo was the reason he hadn't woken up.

_I want to rip him apart._

It was irrational thinking on her part, but there was one thing she was certain of: she needed to see him. She wanted to look Yinzo in the eye and see what could have possibly driven him to do all of this.

This goal in mind, Izumi stood and went to the door, slowly opening it and checking the hallway. Seeing no one, she stepped out and carefully closed the door behind her. Looking back and forth to make sure no one came out of one of the rooms, she left the safe house as quietly at possible.

As Izumi headed straight towards Yinzo's quarters, her initially driven pace began to slow. She was compulsively wringing her hands, worry and fear began to taint the storm of anger that was swirling inside of her. But why? Why would she be fearful? It wasn't like Yinzo was any sort of fighter. She could easily take him down if he tried to attack her.

Though maybe not. Clearly she didn't know this man as well as she thought. And now that she thought about it, she didn't even know whether or not he was a firebender.

Izumi shook her head. Even if he _was_ a firebender, she was certainly more trained than he was. She _would_ take him down if she needed to.

Her fear now mitigated, she made it the rest of the way to Yinzo's room. There were two guards standing in front, both Imperial Firebenders. This only served to reassure her.

Upon seeing her, the guards suddenly stood at attention. "Your Highness," one of them said with a slight bow. "We weren't expecting you."

"I'm here to see Yinzo."

Izumi had expected them to immediately step aside and let her in, but was surprised to see them both hesitating. "Avatar Aang said not to let anyone in without his supervision…" the other guard said.

"The Avatar is busy," she said easily. "And, regardless, I wish to speak with Yinzo alone."

The guards looked at each other. "Are you certain that's wise?"

Izumi's body tensed slightly. "Am I certain _what's_ wise?" she asked her voice laced with vexation.

They seemed to remember precisely who they were talking to and quickly tried to amend themselves. "W-we mean no disrespect, Princess. It's just that this man is responsible for the attack on the Royal Family! Responsible for the Dragon of the West's death! That's why Avatar Aang - !"

"_Avatar Aang_ is not the Fire Lord," Izumi stated, glowering at them and consciously standing as tall as possible. "_I am_ the acting Fire Lord while my father is incapacitated. _My_ word is law, _not_ Avatar Aang's." She looked between them, looking to see if her words sunk in. "Do I make myself _clear_?"

"Yes, Princess."

"Good."

She was about to go inside when one of them stepped in front of her. "May I accompany you, Princess? He's incredibly dangerous."

"Yinzo's strength is in his intelligence, not his brawn. Do you doubt my ability to defend myself?"

"No, it's just - "

"Then step aside and let me in. I promise, I won't be long."

They obeyed, but with a lingering reluctance that infuriated her. She would have reproved them, but didn't want to waste any more time.

When the door opened, she saw Yinzo sitting on his bed. He turned, and Izumi's chest constricted painfully. She didn't know why, but she had expected something to be _different_: for there to be an evil twink in his eyes, a twisted smirk… _something_ to show the kind of man he truly was.

But there was nothing. All she could see was the same kind, disheveled man she had known for years.

And that terrified her.

Yinzo stood as Izumi closed the door behind her. "I figured you'd come to see me," he said with the same soft voice… tainted by a strong sense of acceptance.

For several agonizingly moments, Izumi just stared at him. She tried to reconcile what she had been told with what she was seeing, but felt like she was going mad. Toph _had_ to have been wrong. There was no way _Yinzo_ could have done this to her family. "Why?" she finally croaked out.

Yinzo let out a long sigh. "Because your father was not the true Fire Lord."

It was stated simply, as if it were mere fact. There was none of the anger or intense nationalism that usually accompanied such statements.

The sound of it grated on Izumi's ears.

"And you just… _decided_ this?" she asked. "After all these years working for him?"

Yinzo gave a small smile. "Of course not. I have felt this way from the very beginning."

The world swayed. _From the beginning?_ The thought of a traitor living so closely to her family for eighteen years was almost too much to process. "You always served Father faithfully…" Izumi said in disbelief. Then a new thought occurred to her. "Jaya… Did she work for you?"

Yinzo shook his head. "No. That was just an unfortunate coincidence. I thought all my hard work was going to be undone; I was _sure_ your father was going to kick me out of the palace. Thank Agni you defended me."

A new wave of wracking guilt consumed Izumi, threatening to crush her. Her father had been furious and _she_ calmed her father down by pointing out how well Yinzo had served them. If she hadn't defended him, none of this would have ever happened.

_Grandfather would be alive right now._

_And Father would be awake._

"Even so…" Yinzo went on, a hint of anger in his voice, "Those useless upstarts couldn't finish the job. I had organized everything _perfectly_ for them. I had scheduled the weakest of the guard to be on duty, had those infernal beasts drugged, and had given them weapons that would have made the kills effortless. And yet they only managed to kill the most _useless_ of the targets."

A burst of rage raced through her veins like liquid fire. "Don't talk about my grandfather," she said, her voice dangerously low.

Yinzo shrugged. "It's just a matter of fact, Princess. You, your father, and Avatar Aang were the primary targets. With the three of you dead, the nation would have fallen into chaos, allowing us to bring Fire Lord Ozai back into power. Iroh was an old hasbeen. Killing the him ahead of time was just make the transition a bit smoother." He sighed again. "This was such a waste of a perfect opportunity. But who knows? Zuko always had an unnaturally close relationship with Iroh... maybe the fool's death will incapacitate him."

"Shut up!" Izumi grabbed the front of his tunic and shoved him up against the wall. "You don't get to talk about my father _or_ my grandfather! Do you hear me!?" She pulled back and slammed him back again, relishing the feeling of the impact. "Don't even _breathe_ their names!"

Yinzo eyes were slightly widened with surprise, but then his expression fell neutral as he looked down at her fists. "You think you can threaten me?"

"I'm not threatening," Izumi spat between clenched teeth. "I'm _telling_. If you keep talking about _my_ family like that, I _will_ kill you."

"Sounds like a threat to me... Regardless, it's blatantly empty." He gently cupped his hands over hers. "You're a kind, soft-hearted girl. You always have been. I'm honestly shocked that you escaped relatively unscathed. Especially when your father and grandfather did not."

Izumi's body shuddered, a cycling storm of emotions raging inside of her. The need to destroy Yinzo was overwhelming, but so was the desire to curl in corner and just _scream_. She wanted to see her father and grandfather. She wanted them to be awake and okay, if only so she could beg for forgiveness.

She wanted out: out of this storm that threatened to rip her apart.

She stared down at her shaking fists.

And she frowned.

What was she _doing_?

As if moving through molasses, Izumi slowly released her grip on Yinzo's clothes. She stared at her hands, gripping them tightly together in an attempt to quell their trembling.

What was _wrong_ with her? Why was the world upside down and inside out? Why wasn't her brain following some straight line of logic? _Any_ line of logic?

Why couldn't she get herself under control?

Yinzo chuckled. "See? You are many things, Princess. A murderer isn't one of them."

_Izumi froze, her ears ringing painfully. The man's body was now laying limp on top of her. Dropping the smoking contraption, she slowly turned her head to look at him._

_The upper left part of his head was gone... blood everywhere... his brain exposed._

All at once, the storm calmed. Her trembling had eased, and the tumult in her brain narrowed and focused onto a single point.

"You're wrong," Izumi whispered.

There was a beat of silence. "What do you mean?"

She looked back up and saw a shred of doubt in Yinzo's expression. That was when Izumi smiled. "I am a murderer."

It was so clear now.

Izumi lunged forward and wrapped her hand around his neck.

Her grandfather was dead.

She squeezed the soft flesh, hardly even registering Yinzo's fists as they beat on her arms.

Her father wasn't going to wake up.

Yinzo's face turned red and his body began to sag. It collapsed to the ground, but Izumi simply fell with it, never loosening her grasp.

She had nothing left to lose.

Suddenly, someone grabbed her from behind and yanked her off of Yinzo. "_No!_" Izumi screamed. "Let _go_ of me!" She could see Yinzo coughing and sputtering and knew that she had failed. This one thing. This one _simple_ thing.

"Calm down!"

Whoever they were, they were dragging her out of the room against her will. It wasn't Kanan. He would have obeyed her.

_His grip tightened around Izumi, brushing a hand against her face. "First I want to have some fun."_

"Let go of me!" she screamed again, her anger transforming into panic. She thrashed and kicked but the grip didn't lessen. "Let go of me! Let go of me, _please_!"

Once they were out of the room and the guards shut the door, the arms loosened and Izumi ripped herself out of them. Quickly twisting around, she thrust her arm forward and sent a stream of fire at the assailant, but he easily batted her attack to the side. She shook her head, slowly backing away. The man was saying something, stepping closer to her…

_"Shut up, you whore!"_

_She couldn't resist. He was too strong._

_He ripped her tunic open, gripping and squeezing her flesh with bruising strength._

Izumi squeezed her arms across her chest, trembling as fearful tears began to fall down her face. He kept coming closer, his hands raised and reaching for her. "No... please…" Her back hit the wall and she shrank into it, shakily falling to her knees. "Please, d-don't touch me…"

"...-zumi… Izumi! It's me! It's just me!"

The shadow lifted and there he was, clad in his normal orange and yellow clothes. He was kneeling in front of her, his hands raised placatingly and staring at her with intense worry.

"... Aang?"

He gave a hesitant smile. "Yeah… you okay?"

Hastily wiping her tears off her face, Izumi forced herself to stand, leaning heavily against the wall. "I-I'm fine."

Aang stood with her, nodding skeptically. Then he looked back at Yinzo's room. "Izumi… You can't kill him. Not like this."

She gave him a sharp look. "Don't give your _killing-for-revenge-is-wrong_ speech. You have _no_ idea what I'm going through."

"You're right. I don't. But Izumi - "

"No! I don't want any of your wisdom or sympathy!" she spat. "Grandfather is dead, Father may never wake up, and I was too helpless and weak to do _anything_!"

"Izumi!" Aang grabbed her arms. "That's why I'm here! He's awake! Zuko's awake!"

Silence.

The whole world seemed to drop away. In a way, it was like drowning in an ocean of clear water.

But… a _good_ sort of drowning.

If you were to ask Izumi how she got back to the safe house, she wouldn't be able to say. For all she knew, she had passed out, and Aang had carried her back.

But the next thing she knew, she was standing at the threshold of her father's room.

His skin was still sickly pale, his eyes dark and sunken in. But he sitting up. He was talking to Katara.

He was _awake_.

At first she couldn't move. She just stood there transfixed, too frightened to hope that this wasn't a dream. Hope that this was _real_.

When her father saw her standing at the door, Izumi could see that his eyes were bloodshot and brimming with tears, and her heart nearly stopped. _Katara most have told him about Grandfather..._

_I'm sorry I couldn't protect myself._

_Please don't hate me._

But the moment he saw her, there was no hate. Just a look of utter relief. "Oh thank Agni… Izumi, you're alright."

Izumi's breath caught in her throat.

At the sound of her father's voice, the sense of calm and authority that she had been hopelessly trying to project suddenly shattered. Leaving nothing behind but a child.

A child who desperately needed her father.

Izumi ran forward and practically fell into her father's arm. When he wrapped his arms around her - weaker than in the past - she buried her face into his shoulder and dissolved into sobs. The culmination of all of _everything_ that had happened in the last week poured out of her as she trembled shamelessly in his arms.

"Shh… It's okay... " he whispered, his voice choked with emotion. He stroked her hair, his own arms noticeably trembling. "Everything's going to be okay."

Izumi didn't care what her father was saying. He could have been condemning her for all she cared, and the sound of his voice would have still been the most wonderful sound she had ever heard. It meant that he was here. That he was awake.

That he was alive.

* * *

**Criticisms of all kinds welcome as always.**


	13. Chapter 12

**Hey all!**

**I am so sorry for the long wait, but it's been a hectic last month. But now I'm more settled, and hoping to finish this story by the end of the summer.  
**

**This chapter was a bit difficult to write (as probably the next few will be as well), but I hope I do it justice. **

**Enjoy Chapter 12!**

* * *

As her sobbing reduced to hiccups, Izumi became aware of the others in the room. A part of her knew it needed to be addressed, but all she wanted to do was stay in her father's arms and forget that everyone else existed.

But it would seem her father's injuries had other plans.

His body began to tremble harder, and it was clear that it wasn't just his emotions causing it. Izumi cautiously pulled herself from her father, startled when his arms fell away effortlessly. "Father…?"

"I'm okay," Zuko said through clenched teeth. He pressed the heel of his palm to his temple, his eyes clenched closed. "Just this… _infuriating_ pain…"

Izumi's heart began to race as she watched her father curl in on himself and clutch his head. She quickly slid off the bed and allowed Katara to come in with her healing water. Thankfully, Zuko's body relaxed as Katara worked her hands around his temples, but it was a stark reminder for Izumi that her father was still recovering from very serious injuries.

The bone-deep relief from before was suddenly tainted with fearful apprehension.

"I'm okay, I'm okay…" Zuko said, his voice raspy from lack of use. He gently pushed Katara away, looking back at Izumi with an encouraging smile. However, Izumi found little comfort. She could see the anguish behind his eyes and exhaustion behind his smile, despite the fact that he had just woken up from a week long sleep. And when she thought about it, none of this was surprising. Her father had not only just woken up from a _coma_, but upon regaining consciousness, he had discovered that his uncle - the most important person in his life - was gone. It all had to be horribly overwhelming for him.

"Are you sure you don't want any valerian claw?" Katara asked.

"I just woke up; I don't need to be put back to sleep." Zuko took a deep breath as his glare flickered between Katara and Aang. "Now please leave me to speak with my daughter."

Aang looked surprised. "Zuko, are you sure? You just woke up and - "

"_Aang_," Katara hissed as she waddled around the bed and gently shoved his arm. "We're leaving," she said to Zuko. "We'll be right outside if you need anything."

After Katara had ushered her husband outside, Zuko relaxed back into his pillows with a deep sigh, staring at the ceiling. Izumi - now sitting in a chair at his bedside - shifted uncomfortably. For some unfathomable reason, anxiety was building up inside of her, threatening to suffocate her.

With another deep breath, her father sluggishly sat back up and turned to Izumi with his half-smile. His eyes searched her before he quietly asked, "You're _really_ okay?"

Izumi smiled and let out a small laugh. More than anything, she wanted to say that she was absolutely fine. After all, now that he was awake, what more could she ask for? It was all she had wanted for this past week.

But the words stuck in her throat. Somehow... so much was still so _wrong_.

Her smile faded. "I'm… I'm as good as I can be."

He nodded and leaned forward to gently place his hand on Izumi's cheek. When he brushed his thumb over the cut on her lip, she realized he was scrutinizing her not-quite-healed bruises and scrapes.

"What happened?" he asked quietly.

This caught her by surprise, causing her to frown. "You don't remember?"

He shook his head, his expression unreadable. "I remember… very little. Katara told me what she knows, but… it's not much."

Her father didn't remember. He wanted her to tell him what had happened. Which was the very _last_ thing she wanted to do. In fact, the mere prospect froze her blood. She hadn't even _thought_ about what happened, not explicitly. There were the facts. She knew the facts. But beyond the occasional involuntary flashback, she hadn't dared try to _remember_.

"Izumi… _Izumi_!"

Her father's face was suddenly right in front of hers, his eyebrows slanted in fear as his hands gripping her arms tightly. "Shh, it's okay… You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to!"

Izumi was shaking in his arms and her breathing was faster than normal. "I-I'm sorry…" she managed to stutter out. She didn't want to be causing her father more problems.

"Don't apologize," her father said, his voice calm and even. "There is absolutely no reason for you to be apologizing." There was a hint of moisture in his eyes, but he blinked it away. Stroking her hair, he leaned in to lightly touch his forehead to hers. "I can't imagine how hard this last week has been for you…"

There was something wrong about her father comforting her. She wasn't the one who got shot. She wasn't the one who just woke up from a coma. She wasn't the one who had lost the most important person in his life.

But at the same time, she was too weak to turn the comfort away. It grounded her, which - after a week of floating aimlessly - was something she desperately needed.

Izumi let out a small shaky sigh. "I'm just glad you're awake…"

Zuko nodded, staring at her intensely. But then he winced, mashing the heel of his palm to his temple. "_Dammit_," he cursed.

Panic rose up in Izumi once again. "Do you want me to get Katara?" she asked quickly.

He shook his head, then winced again, the movement clearly causing him more pain. "I'm okay… I j-just…" He leaned back into the bed. "... need to close my eyes…"

Izumi stood, quickly nodding. "I'll let you rest. I-I'll be in my room right next door..."

He simply nodded, his eyes scrunched closed.

When she left, Izumi leaned back against the closed door, taking a deep breath. She had entered the room and the greatest feeling of relief and happiness had overcome her. But upon leaving, she felt drained and anxious. She had thought that once her father had woken up, everything would be alright. Of course, that had been incredibly naive on her part. If she had been thinking properly, she would have easily seen that her father would need more time to recover fully.

Suddenly, a wretched sound came from the other side of the door, making Izumi's eyes widen and her body stiffen in barely contained horror.

It was the sound of her father. Sobbing. Bitter, painful sobs that wracked Izumi to her core.

Izumi slowly and stiffly walked back to her room, her body and her mind suddenly numb. At first she wanted to collapse on her bed, but after shutting her bedroom door, she walked past it and straight to the far corner. Driven by a deep need to _hide_, she tucked her body between the dresser and the wall, her legs curled up to her chest. Staring into space, her mind was completely empty except for the echo of her father's cries.

Her grandfather - the man who had basically raised her father and changed his life - was dead. Killed because Izumi couldn't defend herself. She hadn't even checked on her grandfather after he had gotten shot. What if she had gone to him first? Tended to his wound before her father's? Maybe they would have _both_ lived.

What had she been thinking?

Nothing was okay.

Her father was awake, but her grandfather was still dead.

It was her fault.

She did this to her grandfather.

She did this to her _father_.

Resting her head on her knees, Izumi begged the earth to swallow her whole. Because at this point, _everyone_ would be better off without her.

* * *

Her father spent the remainder of the day sleeping, so Izumi saw no reason to leave her room. And the only time anyone _entered_ her room was when Kanan burst in. Turns out, he was furious that she had slipped out without his protection. But after a short impassioned rant, Kanan had calmed and resumed his duties in his normal, calm manner.

When Izumi finally went to bed, she found very little rest. Most of the night was spent staring at the ceiling. The sleep she _did_ get was interrupted by inexplicable panic attacks.

The next morning, her father's condition seemed to have improved. He was less crippled by pain, his headaches having decreased in intensity.

Pleased to see that he was doing better, Zuko asked Aang to tell him everything that had happened. Izumi sat on the corner of her bed as Aang slowly recounted what Zuko had missed.

First, Aang explained Toph's findings, including everything they knew about Yinzo. To Izumi's relief, he didn't mention her confrontation.

Zuko's anger was palpable, his hands twisted in his bedsheets. "He's been serving in the palace since before Izumi was born… How could he do this to us?"

Aang looked uncomfortable, having no response to Zuko's question. "Apparently he's been planning this from the beginning."

"... He had patience," Zuko said bitterly. "I'll give him that much."

"But he's under arrest now and awaiting justice," Aang assured him. "Which should probably wait until after the commencement."

Zuko nodded. "I agree. It shouldn't be overshadowed by a trail." Then he looked at Aang with a slight frown. "What _does_ the public know?"

"The basics. Nothing about Yinzo, but they know about the attack, about… about Iroh… and they knew that you were injured, though not how seriously. Izumi addressed the nation almost right after, so there wasn't - "

"Wait. _What_?" Zuko glanced at Izumi disbelieving before shooting a glare back to Aang. "What do you _mean_ Izumi addressed the nation?"

Aang's eyes widened, looking genuinely confused. "Of course she did. We wanted to set the public straight before rumours started."

"So you _forced_ Izumi to stand in front of a crowd and recount what had happened that day!?"

"Aang didn't force me!" Izumi piped up. "He _asked_. And I agreed with his reasoning."

"That's besides the point," her father said, still glaring at Aang. "What in Agni's name were you _thinking_?"

"I was just trying to do what was best! There is so much tension between _all_ the nations, I didn't want anything to spin out of control!"

"So you used my _daughter_?!"

"Stop it!" Izumi screamed, standing with her fists clenched at her sides. "Stop talking about me like I'm not even here! _I_ decided to make that address to the nation! Aang did not force or _use_ me!"

Her father looked taken aback. "Izumi…"

"And stop treating me like a child! I can handle something as _simple_ as making a stupid speech!"

Zuko tried to sit up straighter, but he ended up back against his pillows with a wince. "This isn't a question about your abilities... You shouldn't have _had_ to do something like that!"

"Well… I did!" she shouted, her chest aflame. Her heart and lungs were constricting painfully, making it feel as though they were about to explode. "The Fire Nation had to know that we were still strong! That not even some maniacal fanatics could tear us down!"

"Izumi, I know you're upset. I understand that - "

"You _understand_? You don't understand _anything_! How could you? You weren't here! Grandfather was dead, you were dying, and I was _all alone_!"

Her father's mouth opened and closed, searching for something to say. He had a pained look in his eyes and was visibly shaken. "Izumi, listen…"

Izumi shook her head. She couldn't do this. She couldn't _breathe_. This room was suffocating her, pressing in on her and threatening to grind her body into the ground.

So she ran.

Something she's been doing a lot lately.

As she ran out of the safe house, Izumi was barely aware that Kanan was following her. In an attempt to get _away_, his insistent presence was almost maddening. However, she paid very little heed to him as she continued to _run_.

It wasn't until she reached the stables that she stopped, collapsing by Druk's side. She was panting hard from the sudden exertion, leaning heavily against Druk's hard scales. As she slowly caught her breath, Druk curled his body around her with a soft rumble.

"Princess?"

Izumi didn't tell him to go away, partially because she hadn't caught her breath yet, and partially because she knew he would disobey. After the incident with Yinzo, she knew that virtually nothing would keep Kanan from her side.

"I'm fine," she said between breaths, both acknowledging his presence and confirming that she was, in fact, okay.

Kanan didn't respond, but Izumi could here him stepping back against the stable wall and sliding down to sit on the floor. For a moment, Izumi contemplated how dirty such an action would make Kanan's uniform.

There was a content silence in the stables. Druk had positioned his head so it rest on his body next to where Izumi sat, letting out the occasional moan of content as she absentmindedly stroked his snout or scratched his mane. Izumi tried to think about what had just happened, pull the event apart and dissect its insides. But she couldn't get her mind past the fact that she had just _screamed_ at her father.

What in Agni's name was _wrong_ with her? Her father had been through enough. The last thing he needed was his daughter shouting angrily at him, practically accusing him of abandonment.

It wasn't his fault he had been in a coma. If anything, it was _her_ fault for allowing herself to be used as leverage. She was the reason her grandfather was dead, she was the reason her father had been shot and beaten… Her father had protected her from being raped, and this is how she thanks him?

She was a worthless fighter and a horrible daughter.

Izumi curled into herself, digging her fingernails into her arms. They broke the skin, and she reveled in the fresh pain. Somehow, it felt more real than anything else in her miserable life right now.

"I know it's not really my place…" Kanan said, "... but I'm going to speak freely for a moment."

Izumi frowned, the edge of desperation to his voice making her rapt. What could he possibly want to speak about?

"You've always been strong-willed. If you were ever having any problems, you would take them in stride, never asking for help, or make it appear as if you were struggling. And I don't think I've _ever_ heard you complain."

There was a long pause, so long that Izumi would have thought he was done if his tone hadn't indicated otherwise.

"You can't do this by yourself."

It was a like a stab to the gut. Izumi's body stiffened and her nails dug deeper.

"... And that's okay. We weren't meant to deal with this world all alone. I could quote any number of cliched sayings about how working as a team is better than working alone, and I know _you_ could quote many more from all of that reading you've done in your fifteen - almost sixteen - years. Well, they're cliched for a reason."

Izumi's initial reaction was anger. What exactly was she supposed to _do_? It's not like anyone else could somehow magically make her not stupidly crazy.

She didn't need help. She just needed to learn to _control_ herself.

"I think… that _you_ think you're somehow sparing your father. That by pretending to be okay, that will make it easier on him." Another pause. "But you're a terrible liar. Anyone can see that. You're _not_ okay. Not by a long shot."

"Stop talking," Izumi said curtly.

Kanan ignored her. "And you're not going to be okay unless you _talk_ to someone. Anyone. You can't just pretend that everything that's happened isn't affecting you."

"I said, stop talking!"

"_No!_" Kanan shouted. "You need to use that big brain and practical nature of yours and stop hiding!"

"I'm not _hiding_!" Izumi jumped to her feet, Druk pulling his head back in surprise. Now that she was standing, she could barely see Kanan standing on the other side of Druk's body. "And how _dare_ you insinuate that I'm lying!"

"You _are_ lying! And you don't realize it, but you're only hurting yourself _and_ your father!"

"You think I don't know that!? I _know_ I'm only causing my father more trouble! That's why it's important for me not to bother him unnecessarily!"

"You wouldn't be bothering him! He would _want_ to know!"

Izumi emphatically shook her head, grasping her hair as she tried to keep her thoughts straight. What had just happened? Why was she here? Why were they having this conversation? She yanked at her hair, panicking as it all spiraled out of control. "Why are you _doing_ this to me!?"

Kanan's arms were suddenly around her, and Izumi froze in shock. Glancing to the side, she realized that Druk had somehow moved his massive body without her realizing, allowing Kanan to easily embrace her. Betrayal struck Izumi in the chest; she couldn't believe that Druk had allowed Kanan to come near her, especially when she was so upset and lost.

Druk brought his muzzle up to Izumi's shoulder, sniffing it affectionately. And for a moment, Izumi thought she saw concern in his eyes.

"I've been looking over you for since you were five years old," Kanan whispered. "I know it's presumptuous of me… but I think of you as a daughter. I would do _anything_ for you. And you have no idea how painful it is for me to see you suffering like this."

Her body shaking in Kanan's arms, tears silently fell down Izumi's face. Kanan's arms felt as if they were covered in broken glass, stabbing and slicing her skin open. It was painful. All of it was just agonizing.

"You need to talk to someone," Kanan said softly, but firmly. "It doesn't have to be me. Or your father. You can talk to Master Katara or Avatar Aang… or even Druk. But you cannot keep this all on the inside. It's going to rip you apart… and I can't watch that happen."

Talk to someone? Talk about what? The attack? Everyone already knew about the attack. What would be the point in _talking_ about it?

But a part of Izumi told her to stop. Deep down, she knew _exactly_ what Kanan wanted her to do.

And for the first time in over a week… she felt some semblance of control.

"I'll try…" she rasped out. "I promise, I'll try."

Kanan gave her a comforting squeeze. "Thank you."

* * *

**Criticisms of all kinds welcome as always.**


	14. Chapter 13

**Hey all!**

**This is a pretty damn fluffy chapter, so I hope you all enjoy :)**

**Enjoy Chapter 13!**

* * *

Emotionally exhausted.

There was really no other way of describing the trudge back to the safe house.

Kanan stayed close behind Izumi, keeping in step with her sluggish pace. Even when she stopped walking completely - losing herself in unsettling thoughts - he stayed silently stalwart by her side.

When they got back to the safe house, Izumi stood before her father's door, apprehension eating away at her. She couldn't hear any voices, which probably meant Aang wasn't in there anymore. But she just couldn't seem to be able to take that final step and walk inside.

After several minutes of hesitation, Kanan stepped a little closer. "Princess? Are you going to go inside?"

She wanted to. She _needed_ to. But… "He's going to be mad at me."

"He's not going to be mad at you."

"I yelled at him.

"He's knows you didn't mean it."

_Well, that's the thing… I kinda **did**._ With a despondent sigh, Izumi shoved her fears down and opened the door.

As she predicted, Aang was gone. Her father was still sitting on his bed, staring down at some scroll. This made Izumi roll her eyes. _Hardly a day after waking up and he's **working** again._

Zuko raised his head at the sound of the door opening. He briefly looked past her and spoke to Kanan. "Thank you for watching over her."

Izumi timidly stepped in, keeping her head down slightly as she gauged her father's emotions. His eyes were bloodshot, and he didn't even bother with his half smile. Instead, he stared right at Izumi blankly, without a single hint of any emotion.

Kanan closed the door behind her, leaving her alone with her father. The prospect was more terrifying than it should have been.

There was tense silence as Izumi slowly walked to her father's bedside and took a seat. She avoided eye contact, focusing her gaze on the bedside table, which currently held a glass of water and a pile of small scrolls. There was another stretch of silence as Izumi gathered her thoughts and formulated what she needed to say. It took a while, but she had a bit more confidence once she was ready. "Father… I just wanted to apolo-"

"Don't."

Izumi stiffened. At first she thought she may have underestimated his anger. However, the tone of his voice and the sadness in his expression suggested otherwise.

"Just… _please_ don't. I don't think I could handle it if you apologized."

Izumi frowned, confused as to what her father 'couldn't handle'. "I-I shouldn't have yelled at you," she stated.

"You have _every_ right to yell at whomever you'd like right now."

Her confusion swelled. "_What?_"

Zuko sighed. "Izumi… I know you're trying to be the perfect daughter right now. You're trying to 'stay strong' or assure me that you're okay… And I'm telling you right now to stop."

A couple of choked noises escaped Izumi's throat, but other than that, she was truly speechless. She had expected to hear many things from her father. This was nowhere _close_ to any one of them.

And the truth of his words rang painfully in her ears.

Zuko turned his head toward Izumi. A small - but sincere - smile adorned his face when he saw her reaction. "Believe it or not, you _are_ my daughter. And I can see right through you."

"I… That's not… I'm…"

Nope. Still couldn't do that talking thing.

"And for the record, _I'm_ the parent in this relationship. I take care of you; not the other way around."

"I'm not trying to take _care_ of you," Izumi rebutted, finding her words at last. "I just want to _help_ you!"

Her father considered her carefully for a moment. "You really want to help me?"

"_Yes!_"

"Alright then." Zuko rolled up his scroll and placed it next to the others. "Here's what you can do to help me. First: Please do your best to _avoid_ apologizing. For _any_thing."

Izumi's hands clenched together in her lap. She wanted to ask why, but that might spark a conversation on why she _needed_ to apologize. And while she promised Kanan she would talk to someone, the thought of talking to her _father_ about what had happened (specifically her role in all the damage she had caused) made her nauseous. "How does that help you?" she asked instead.

Her father gave a resigned sighed. "It helps because hearing you apologize is _painful_." It seemed as though he wanted to say more, but he shook it off. "It makes my near-constant headache even worse, and I'd like to avoid another head splitting migraine. Katara's concoctions only do so much."

That seemed reasonable, though a little confusing. Regardless, Izumi gave a quick nod. "Okay. I'll try not to… apologize."

"Good. Second…" Zuko tipped his head toward the scrolls. "I want you to help me with this."

"You shouldn't be working at _all_," Izumi retorted. "You should just be focusing on getting better."

"... This isn't work."

Izumi frowned, looking over at the scrolls. If he wanted help, it probably wasn't pleasure reading. "Then what is it?"

Her father didn't answer immediately, which only exponentiated her confusion and curiosity. Grabbing the scroll he had just put down, she unrolled it and skimmed the first few lines.

Her stomach dropped. They were instructions for funeral arrangements.

"The commencement is in less than a week," her father said, his voice low and void of emotion. "I would like to put Uncle to rest _before_ then. He would have hated a traditional Royal funeral… So I figure, small and private is the way to go."

Izumi couldn't tear her gaze from the scroll. The simple reality that her grandfather was gone was bashing her over the head again, with no less force than when Aang had uttered those horrible words.

But even through the thick fog of grief, her practical side was able to shine through.

"There's going to have to be a public ceremony…" Izumi said. "The people of the world are going to want to grieve as well."

There was a brief flash of disgust in her father's expression, but it was gone as quickly as it came. "We'll deal with that after the commencement."

Waiting over two weeks to have some sort of public funeral was probably too long, but Izumi didn't have the impetus to argue the point. "Okay…" She grabbed the other scrolls and looked over what each of them contained. "So... how you do you want to do this?"

Organizing a small funeral such as this would have taken the average person two or three hours. However, it would take them the entire day to finalize all of the details. In reality, they probably only spent two to three hours _actually_ working on it, but their efforts were riddled with pauses and breaks.

It would be an understatement to describe the day as emotionally draining. Their monotonous discussions often petered off into silence when it became too overwhelming for them. In the beginning of the day, they would sit in silence as they mentally prepared to continue working. However, Izumi found another way to help her father: pestering him to move as much as possible.

Katara had come in twice during the day to check on Zuko's condition and to conduct a healing session. She seemed optimistic that Zuko would be up and around in a few days. In the meantime, she told him to try standing and walking whenever he could.

So whenever they became too emotionally drained, Izumi would take the bouts of silence as an opportunity to get her father to walk around. He was initially resistant to the idea, but in the end, she got him to stiffly hobble around the room. It was all around for the better. Her father could progress in his recovery, and it took both of their minds off of the funeral.

After a late dinner, they finally managed to wrap up all the necessary details. Izumi tied the pertinent scrolls together with trembling hands and handed it off to Kanan to deliver to the appropriate people.

The funeral would be tomorrow. The palace staff was competent and efficient. Preparing this in such a short timescale shouldn't be a problem.

Though Izumi wasn't sure that _she_ would be prepared.

"We should go to bed," her father said. "We've both had an exhausting day."

Izumi nodded in agreement. It _had_ been an exhausting, emotionally tumultuous, horribly confusing day. However, when she thought about how she felt this morning and compared it to how she felt right _now..._ she couldn't help but realize that she felt just a bit... lighter.

With a long sigh, Izumi stood. "I suppose I'll see you in the morning." Leaning forward, she wrapped her arms around her father's neck. "I love you, Father."

He immediately returned the embrace. "I love you too, Izumi."

It lasted longer than Izumi had anticipated, her father holding onto her so tightly it made his body tremble. But he managed to let go before she was forced to remind him that she did - in fact - need to breathe.

By the time Izumi left her father's room, Kanan was back, ever vigilant. She took a moment to stand and stare at him. "Do you _ever_ sleep? Or eat? Or go _home_?"

"Yes."

It was annoyingly succinct, but she was too tired to push further. Shaking her head, Izumi opened the door to her bedroom. "Good night, Kanan."

"Good night, Princess."

Closing the door behind her, she began the mindless task of getting ready for bed. As she washed her face and changed her clothes, a bundle of nerves in her stomach were becoming more and more agitated. While her bone-deep exhaustion never faded, it seemed as though her body was starting to rebel against the idea of actually _sleeping_.

Trying to ignore it, Izumi crawled into bed, curling into her blankets and closing her eyes. However, the feeling only continued to grow and spread. She took deep purposeful breaths in an attempt to control this horrible feeling, but it didn't seem to do much.

Unable to remain lying down, Izumi sat up and wrapped her arm around her torso as if she would be able to physically push the feeling back down. Her body was trembling and she was beginning to cry at her inability to control herself. _What is **wrong** with you!? There's no reason for you to be feeling this way!_

As the feeling crept into her extremities, she started to claw at her arms. Her nails sunk deep into her skin as she tried to _dig_ the feeling out.

And it seemed to be working. As the pain increased, this _feeling_ faded until it completely disappeared.

Leaning back against her headboard, she broke out in a smile, relieved that she was able to take back control. She welcomed the burning pain in her arms, the broken skin and jagged skin an almost heavenly sensation underneath her fingertips.

But then her sanity returned.

Izumi's eyes flew open and her hands froze. Trembling for an entirely new reason, she tenderly crawled off her bed, lit the lantern, and examined the damage.

Her upper arms were covered in long angry scratches, several of them open and bleeding. The blood wasn't running down her arms, but it was still a hideous sight. Izumi's horror only grew when she realized that there was blood underneath her _fingernails_. She quickly dumped her hands into the water basin, fervently scrapping out her nails.

What was wrong with her?

_What was wrong with her?_

_What was **wrong** with her?_

After spending the day with her father, it seemed as though she was finally starting to feel a little better. It wasn't perfect by any means, but it was still _better_. What _changed_ between her father's room and her own?

She wanted to go back. She wanted to go back to the safety of her father's presence. At least there, she felt she had some semblance of _sanity_.

But she couldn't go now. He would be sleeping by now. She couldn't disturb him.

She was, however, more than capable of sneaking in.

Open door, slip in, close door, curl up in the spare bed, and _sleep_.

A quick plan formulated, Izumi now went about hiding her perturbing loss of control. After cleaning off the smears of blood, she waited until she was sure she was no longer bleeding to change into a nightgown that had sleeves.

Once she was ready, she took a few calming breaths before opening her door. Stepping into the hallway, the only person there was Kanan, who was asleep in a chair right outside Izumi's room.

So he _did_ sleep. Albeit in a very uncomfortable looking position.

Izumi was half-tempted to wake him and offer her own bed. Then she thought of the conversation that would inevitably ensue. Deciding against it, she tiptoed past him to her father's room.

The first thing she noticed was a thin line of light creeping out from the bottom of the door. She frowned slightly. Either her father forgot to extinguish his light, or he was still awake. She turned the door handle as slowly as possible, successfully avoiding any noises. However, she only managed to crack the door open when she heard a confused _Hello?_.

All attempts of stealth now pointless, Izumi opened the door fully. "Hey, Father…"

"Izumi?" His brow slightly furrowed with worry, he sluggishly stood up to approach her. "What are you still doing up?"

Izumi closed the door behind her. "I could ask you the same thing."

Standing in front of her with a slight slouch of pain, Zuko placed his hands on her shoulders. "Are you alright? Where's Kanan?"

"Kanan is right outside. I just… I was having trouble falling asleep."

"Oh. I see." He looked back at his own bed. "I guess I was as well…" He turned back to Izumi. "Do you want to talk about it?"

_No! Absolutely not!_

"Not really…" Izumi hadn't considered the possibility that her father would still be awake. Now she was struggling to figure out what to say.

Her father squeezed her shoulders. "You know you can talk to me about anything… right?"

Izumi nodded. "I know. But I was just wondering…"

As her voice failed her, he nodded encouragingly. "Yes?"

"Could… Could I stay _here_ tonight?"

Her father appeared to think it was the stupidest question in the world. "Of _course_ you can stay here."

She was overcome by a huge amount of relief at hearing those words.

He wordlessly walked her over to the other bed, an arm over her shoulders. When Izumi climbed into the bed, her father took the covers and pulled them up to her neck, smoothing the blankets out and literally tucking her in. It made her feel as though she were five years old again, but it didn't anger or annoy her. It wasn't patronizing. In fact, it was oddly comforting.

Finished with his ministrations, he gave her a small smile. "Are you _sure_ you don't want to talk about anything?"

She nodded. "I just want to go to sleep."

He gave a quick nod in return. "Okay." He leaned down and kissed her forehead, smoothing a hand over her hair. "Good night, Izumi."

"Good night, Father."

Izumi watched as he slowly walked back to his bed. With a flick of his wrist, he extinguished the light and Izumi listened as he laid down and settled in for the night.

As she expected, her father's proximity was enough to keep her calm and keep away that horrible feeling from before. She listened to her father's breathing as it evened out, her own breathing naturally mimicking the rhythm. Before she knew it, her eyes closed and she was lulled into a deep sleep.

* * *

It was a pleasantly dreamless night. When Izumi woke up, a smile broke out on her face. She couldn't remember the last time she had such a restful sleep.

After a full-bodied stretch, she rolled over and looked at her father's bed.

To find that it was empty.

She sat up in alarm. "Father?" A quick survey of the room showed that he wasn't anywhere to be found.

Panic starting to take hold, Izumi leapt from her bed, ran to the door, and yanked it open. Maybe her father was speaking to Kanan.

She found the hallway completely empty. Not even Kanan was standing guard.

"Kanan?" She could hear her heart pounding in her ears. "Father?!"

_What was going on?_

She ran to the other doors, yanking each of them open and shouting for her father. Her panic and fear deepened as each door only revealed an empty room.

_Where is everyone?!_

Opening the safe house entrance, she ran out into the palace. "Hello!?" she shouted. "Anyone!"

Izumi rounded a corner and suddenly froze.

Her father was lying on the ground, his back facing toward her.

"_Father!_" Izumi sprinted to him and collapsed to her knees. He remained motionless to her cry, so she grabbed his shoulder and gave it a hard shake. "Father…?"

His body bonelessly rolled, making Izumi jump back. Her vision swayed at the mass of blood completely soaking the clothes, making them cling tightly to the flesh underneath. A sob lodged in her throat and making her choke, Izumi's unbidden eyes swept up the body.

Her father's face. Pale save for his scar and a line of blood trailing from his mouth. His lifeless eyes staring right at her.

_You're a murderer._

No… Nonononono_no!_

She was screaming. Curled into a tiny ball, eyes screwed shut, she grasped her head and _screamed_.

There were hands on her, grabbing her and pulling her away. But she didn't care. What did it matter if men beat her, used her body in vile ways? Her father was dead. She was alone.

Eventually her screaming was reduced to whimpering sobs, and it was then that she realized that the person who had grabbed her wasn't _hurting_ her. They were holding her tightly, cradling her to their chest. They were slowly rocking her and whispering into her ear, the words only just becoming coherent.

"... It's okay. It was just a nightmare… It's over now…"

_A nightmare?_

Izumi's eyes flew open, her body jerking in surprise. The arms around her only tightened in response. "Shh, shh… You're okay…"

The first thing she noticed was the familiar musky scent of fire lilies and smoke. The second was the fact that she was back in the safe house, in her father's room, on the spare bed. These facts together made her body relax, the sobs dying away and leaving her breathing ragged. "F-Father…?"

His body noticeably relaxed. "It's okay… You were just dreaming."

Leaning more heavily against her father's chest, Izumi reached up with a shaky hand and gripped the collar of his night clothes. "Y-you… you can't d-die…"

The rocking paused. "I'm not going to die."

"But you _a-almost_ did…" For the first time, Izumi thought back to her father's body, lying prone next to her grandfather's. "You… you were coughing b-blood… a-and you wouldn't w-wake up… and there was so much _blood_…"

"Shh…" Her father gently placed a hand on her head. "It's over now. I'm fine."

She knew that. She _already_ knew that. But somehow, hearing it straight from her father - his voice quiet but confident - was more reassuring than her own lame attempt at _logic_ or _reasoning_. With a small sigh of relief, Izumi relaxed in her father's arms, relishing the warmth and calming comfort.

But it wasn't long before her father was shifting uncomfortably. "I hate to do this… but my stitches are pulling…"

Izumi pulled away as if burned, disgusted with herself for having forgotten about his injuries. "Are you okay?"

"I'm _fine_." He rubbed the edges of his wound. "No damage done." He looked up at her, a hint of sadness in his face. He reached forward and placed his hand on her arm. "_This_, on the other hand…"

Izumi looked down and paled at the sight of the torn shambles of her sleeves, her scratches bleeding freely. She flinched from her father, crossing her arms and covering her shame with her hands.

"You were ripping them in your sleep…" her father said, his gaze never leaving her arms. "But it's obvious this didn't just happen in the last few minutes." He turned his gaze to back to Izumi. "_Why?_"

"I wasn't trying to hurt myself!" she quickly explained. "I just needed to dig my anxiety out!"

… That came out more crazy-sounding than she would have liked.

Surprisingly, her father's expression remained neutral. "But it didn't help," he stated.

Her father was being entirely too understanding about the whole affair. "It did. For a little bit…" Why was she _defending_ this?

Izumi expected her father to scold her for her stupidity, but instead she was met with silence. He just continued to stare at her, tears brimming in his eyes. Izumi was about to beg him not to cry when he blinked the tears away and slowly stood. He walked to his bedside table where he picked up a small container and a roll of bandages. "Katara's been using this to help prevent infection." He walked back and gingerly sat down on the bed.

"Don't _you_ need it?"

"I'm healed up enough. Infection is not really a danger at this point." He opened the container and coated his fingers in the green paste.

Izumi leaned away slightly. "I'm okay, Father. Really."

"It's either this, or I go get Katara right now."

"_No!_" Izumi quickly said. "I mean, it's not like it's life threatening or anything…"

"And I don't want you getting an infection and _making_ it life threatening," he said dourly.

Well when he put it like _that_…

With a reluctant sigh, Izumi leaned back forward and raised one of her arms. "It's really not that bad…" she protested weakly.

Her father pushed up the thready remains of her sleeves and began to gently applying the salve. He spent the next several minutes treating her scratches and wrapping her arms snugly with bandages. Izumi tried not to think about, hating that he was doing this. _He_ was the one who had been in a coma. He shouldn't have to be caring for his worthless daughter like this.

"Is it too tight?"

She shook her head. "No, it's good. Thanks."

Wiping his fingers off, he closed the container and placed it and the remaining bandages down on the ground. "You should probably go back to bed."

Izumi quickly nodded. "_Yes_." Going back to sleep and trying to forget all of this sounded ideal.

Pulling the blankets up, her father stood and helped her back into bed. She expected him to tuck her in like earlier, but to her complete shock, he laid down next to her and wrapped an arm around her torso. "Father?"

"Yes?"

"What are you doing?"

"I'm going to sleep here tonight. Unless it makes you uncomfortable."

"What about your stomach wound?"

"It's fine."

Izumi frowned in confusion. For what possible reason would her father want to sleep on this bed with her? It seemed as though this would make it _more_ difficult for him to sleep. "... Why?"

It took him a moment to respond. "I'm your father. I'm here to take care of you." He squeezed Izumi to his chest. "I'm here to keep the nightmares away."

With the comforting warmth and smell of her father's body, this unconditional support seemed to ease the heavy pressure from Izumi's chest. She began to cry again, though it wasn't the harsh sobbing from before. She just couldn't believe that her father was _doing_ this for her. It was overwhelming, and she couldn't come up with a more coherent response.

He rubbed his hand up and down her arm. "Just let it all out…"

Frankly, she was amazed that there was anything _left_ to let out. "I-I'm sorry for…" Took a deep breath. "... c-crying so much…"

He gripped her arm reflexively. "_Never_ apologize for crying. Do you hear me? You _never_ apologize for being upset."

His voice and trembling hand were desperate, this pleading coming from something _deeper_ than just a father's protectiveness. It was a little perplexing, but with his raw emotion, Izumi didn't even try to protest.

Over the course of several minutes, her weeping quieted and her body relaxed, nestled against her father. Her breathing began to even, and her eyelids grew heavy. "I love you, Father…"

A reaffirming squeeze. "I love you, Izumi."

And she slipped into a dreamless sleep.

* * *

**Criticisms of all kinds welcome as always.**


	15. Chapter 14

**Hello all!**

**Zuko and Izumi continue their messy, non-linear physical and emotional recoveries! (Hope the fluff is enough that it doesn't become boring...)**

**Enjoy Chapter 14!**

* * *

When Izumi woke up, she amazed to find that she actually felt _rested_, in spite of the night she had. Then she realized that she was alone in the bed. Her nightmare echoing in her mind, Izumi quickly turned over, her breath caught in her throat in terror.

"Hey, hey, it's okay! I'm right here…!"

Her father was sitting in a chair right next to her bed, now leaning forward with a hand on her shoulder.

Izumi calmed, her body relaxing back down into the bed. "What time is it?"

"It's almost midday."

It didn't really surprise her. Not only had the previous night been tumultuous, but her sleeping habits had been all over the place for the last week. "When did _you_ get up?"

"About an hour ago."

As she began to sit up, a tightness in her arms brought her attention to the bandages. She deflated slightly. A small part of her had hoped _that_ had all been part of her nightmare. "I should probably change…" she said quietly. _And burn this gown._

Her father looked uncertain. "... I think you should have Katara take a look at you."

Izumi stiffened. "That's not necessary."

He sighed. "Izumi…"

"Father, _please_. I don't want this to be broadcasted to everyone. It's humiliating enough that _you_ know about it."

"You know Katara; she wouldn't _broadcast_ it. And you should _not_ feel humiliated!"

"Why not?" she said bitterly. "I completely lost it and ripped my _own arms_ open! I don't even understand how you can look at me and not feel ashamed."

"Of course I'm not ashamed of you!" her father almost yelled. "And you want to know why?"

"_Why?_" Izumi challenged.

"Because I _understand_! I understand that feeling of helplessness, that loss of control! It's _awful_ and you would do anything to make it go away."

Izumi was taken aback by his vehemence, having rarely seen her father with such raw emotion. Still, she shook her head in disbelief. "You can't be telling me _you_ hurt yourself like this?"

"Not like that," he admitted. "But I've shared your desire to get the anxiety _out_. It's just that _I_ would get it out by losing my temper. I would fight with my crew, firebend in anger, and generally wreak havoc… Those are not my proudest years."

Izumi knew that her father had a bad temper. She had seen it unleashed at his advisors more than once. She also knew that it used to be much worse, supposedly reaching its peak during his banishment. However... "I don't think that's the same thing. You weren't hurting yourself."

"Wasn't I? For three years, all I _had_ was Uncle and the crew. And I treated all of them like _crap_. I was constantly ragging on the crew and picking fights with them..."

Izumi frowned. "Admiral Jee seems to think highly of you."

"He thinks highly of who I am _now_. Trust me, Izumi. I didn't deserve any respect back then. My crew would have left within the first few months if they hadn't held such respect for Uncle. If it hadn't been for him..." He paused, seemingly lost in thought. "... I would have been completely alone."

She wasn't sure what to say. While her father never denied the past, it was rare for him to talk so openly about it. Most of what she knew was from her grandfather and other people. It was strange to be listening to her father's own brutally honest testimony.

"My point is…" he went on, "... I _was_ hurting myself. Everyone who _could_ help me? I was pushing them away." He made eye contact with Izumi. "I _do_ understand. And that only makes it more painful to watch."

Izumi looked away, her father's gaze too intense for her to maintain contact with. There was another wave of a shame, but there was also comprehension. Her troubles, her pain, they weren't just hurting her. They were hurting her father as well.

"Izumi?"

She looked back up, her vision blurred with fresh tears.

"Let Katara look at you."

Blinking the tears back, she slowly nodded. "Okay."

As luck would have it, Katara came in not long after to check on Zuko. However, she almost immediately noticed Izumi's bandaged arms beneath her destroyed sleeves. "What happened?!" she asked.

Izumi struggled to find her words. While her father may not be ashamed of her, she still didn't want to admit what happened to other people. "I… scratched myself in my sleep," she said weakly. It wasn't technically a lie, but it still wasn't entirely truthful.

Katara pulled the threads of her sleeve aside, inspecting the bandage. "Do you mind if I take a look?"

Izumi shook her head. "Father wanted you to make sure I didn't have any infections."

Katara sat in the chair by the spare bed with a small grunt of pain, grimacing slightly.

"Are you alright?" Izumi asked.

"I'm fine," Katara said, though her voice was strained. She motioned for Izumi to sit. "Let me look at those bandages."

Izumi sat down, and Katara rolled her sleeves out of the way. When she started to unwrap the bandages, she gave a slight a frown. "Did you do this yourself?"

"No, Father did it for me. He wanted to use the salve."

Katara turned to her father with raised eyebrows. "I have to say, Zuko… I'm impressed."

He simply shrugged.

After removing the bandages, Katara washed off the residue from the salve and took a careful look at the scratches, probing the edge of some of the deeper ones. "They don't appear infected; the salve did it's job. Are you in any pain?"

"Only when you poke it like that."

Katara smiled. "Good. Now how does - " She suddenly winced, placing a hand on her protruding stomach.

"Are you _sure_ you're alright...?" Izumi asked again.

"I'm fine. Just going into labor."

Izumi's jaw just about dropped to the floor.

"You're _what_?!" Zuko said.

"Relax. I'm still in the - " She winced again, leaning down in pain and breathing deeply. "I'm still in the first stage. You know it takes hours."

"But if those are contractions…" Izumi said. "They're only a few minutes apart!"

"How _long_ have you been in labor?!" Zuko asked panickedly.

"Since late last night." Katara looked down at her belly with a strained expression. "Maybe I _should_ lay down…"

"You think!?" Zuko went to her side and helped her stand. "Let's get you on the bed." He turned to Izumi. "Get Aang and the healers."

Izumi nodded and ran out of the room, disoriented and starting to panic. She didn't know anything about childbirth. Why was this happening _now_?

First she went to the door across the way where three healers were currently housed. She splurted out, "Katara'sinlaborandshe'sinmyfather'sroom!" before running to the next door down where she knew Aang and their kids were staying. She opened the door without knocking, accidentally causing Kya to let out a small yelp of surprise.

All three occupants quickly turned to the sudden intruder. "Izumi?" Aang said confused. "Is everything - ?"

"It's Katara, she's - !"

Aang suddenly stood, his expression transforming into concern. "Oh, _spirits_, Izumi! What happened to your arm?"

Izumi looked down and let out a small moan of annoyance. Katara hadn't had the chance to rebandage her arm, so her scratches were completely out in the open. "Nevermind my arm!" Izumi quickly said. "Katara's in labor!"

Aang's eyes suddenly widened. "_What?_"

"Her contractions are pretty close together. She's in Father's room."

Aang immediately pushed past Izumi and ran out of the room. Izumi was about to follow when Bumi spoke. "So… what _did_ happen to your arm?"

Izumi covered her scratches as best as she could with her hand. "I got hurt. Don't you want to see your mother?"

Bumi's face twisted in disgust. "I remember Kya's birth. Lots of screaming... Dad looked ready to pass out... I'm good, thanks."

"I want to see…" Kya said quietly.

"No you don't," Bumi said confidently. He looked back at Izumi. "So what happened to your arm?

Izumi tried to come up with a reasonable story, but was coming up blank. Finally, she managed to pull together a half-believable explanation.

"It… it happened during the attack."

Bumi frowned. "I don't remember seeing those on your arm before…"

And Izumi had no memory of seeing _Bumi_ after the attack. Though her memories of the days that had followed were very muddled, so she supposed anything was possible. "You must have overlooked them," she said lamely.

Kya stepped forward a little, her wide eyes staring at her scratches in concern. "Do they hurt?"

Izumi knelt down to Kya's level. "No, it doesn't hurt. A few more healing sessions with your mom, and it'll be good as new."

Kya looked back and forth between Izumi's arm and her face. Finally, with a look of determination, Kya grabbed Izumi's hand and pulled her to the back of the room. "Since Mommy's having a baby and Bumi won't let me go, _I_ can help you instead." She gently pushed Izumi back onto one of the beds before pulling the water out of the basin with her waterbending.

Izumi raised an eyebrow. "Kya… can you heal?"

First, she nodded confidently. Then looked a little uncertain. "Well… no not really. Mommy says I'll be able to eventually though."

Kya was only five years old, and appeared to be struggling to keep the water steady between her hands. Knowing what it was like to struggle with bending, Izumi smiled encouragingly. "So you want to try and get some practice in?"

Kya nodded eagerly, her ringlets of hair bouncing up and down. "And if it doesn't work… you said it doesn't hurt anyway."

Bumi letting out an exasperated sigh before falling dramatically on his bed. "It's always about _bending_…" he muttered under his breath.

Either Kya hadn't heard him or chose to ignore him as she placed her water-sheathed hands over Izumi's arm. Her brow was knitted together and the tip of her tongue stuck out in concentration as she moved her hands up and down. It was almost comical, and Izumi was finding it very difficult to suppress her giggles at the cuteness.

Suddenly Zuko came in, a hand on his stomach as he stiffly walked. He paused for a moment when he saw Kya and Izumi. "Kya… what're you doing?"

"I'm healing Izumi!"

"_Trying_ to heal Izumi," Bumi clarified. "And failing."

Kya shot her brother a glare, but then looked back at Izumi's arm. With a small sigh, she bent the water back into the basin. "I guess it didn't do anything…"

"Yes it did," Izumi said, not wanting her to lose heart. She looked down at her arm, raising it up and down. "It soothed it and it doesn't feel as stiff as before." She gave Kya a smile. "And that's _really_ impressive for a five year old."

"Five and _three quarters_," Kya corrected.

Bumi rolled his eyes as he stood from the bed. "I'm going to play with Appa. You wanna come with me, Kya?"

"Yeah!"

Zuko frowned. "You don't want to see your sibling getting born?"

Bumi shook his head. "Why would I want to stay around for all the screaming and blood?"

Zuko cringed. "Good point." As Bumi grabbed Kya's hand and ran out the door, Zuko added, "Tell your parent before you leave."

"Yeah, yeah…"

The door closed behind them, leaving Izumi and Zuko alone. Zuko sat down on one of the beds with a small sigh of relief. "The healers have started setting up in my room," he said. "Katara and Aang said I could stay here for the day, since I'm still recovering."

"They couldn't just move Katara back here?"

"Apparently she's further along than she initially thought."

"Oh." Izumi looked down at her nightgown and started to walk towards the door. "I'm going to change my clothes…"

"Alright."

When she went into the hallway, she saw that Kanan was standing besides the door. At this point, she wasn't even surprised. "You know…" Izumi said, "You _could_ go home now."

Kanan raised an eyebrow. "Why do you say that?"

"Well… we know who organized the attack, and he's under arrest. We'll probably all be moving out of the safe house in the next day or so… You don't need to be guarding me twenty-four seven anymore. You should go home and rest."

"That woman is still out there," Kanan pointed out.

"There's no way she's going to come back. The only reason she got into the palace in the first place was because Yinzo got her in. Not only that, but _everyone_ is on guard and looking for her. Even if she was stupid enough to try, she wouldn't be able to get _near_ me."

"You may be right," Kanan said.

Izumi waited for some sort of 'but' statement, but to her great annoyance Kanan left it at that. She let out a resigned sigh. It seemed Kanan was determined to be stubborn. "Anyway, could you inform the palace staff to postpone the… the funeral until tomorrow?"

"Of course, Princess."

Izumi went to her room, changed into a simple tunic, and returned to Aang and Katara's room. She found her father leaning back against the wall with a pensive look. "I had the funeral postponed to tomorrow…"

Her father merely glanced at her before staring back at nothingness. "Good idea."

Izumi carefully crawled onto the bed and sat next to him. "Don't you want to lie down?"

"Not really."

She frowned. He seemed unusually despondent. "Father, are you alright?"

"Hmm? I'm a little sore and have a slight headache, but otherwise I'm fine."

Izumi shook her head. "No, I mean… you seem a little upset."

He didn't respond at first. But when he did begin to speak, he was interrupted by a loud, agonizing scream from the other room.

Cringing, Izumi turned to the direction of the scream. She knew it was perfectly normal for there to be intense pain during labor, but this just didn't sound _natural_.

When she turned back to her father, she saw that he had tensed, and there was a haunted look in his eyes. "Father?" Izumi placed a hand on his arm. "What's wrong? Should I get a nurse?"

"No, no… I'm just…" He closed his eyes, his voice strained. "I'm just thinking about your mother…"

Her mother. Who had died during childbirth.

Another scream - accompanied by demands to _stop touching her_ \- had Izumi gripping her father's arm, trying pathetically to offer some comfort. "Do you… need anything…?"

Her father smiled, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and pulling her up to his side. "I just need you to stay here with me."

Well that was easy enough. Izumi settled into the nook of her father's arm, resting her head against her shoulder. She wasn't really able to relax between Katara's yelling and tenseness of her father's body, but she was still comfortable.

"You know your mother would be proud of you," he said suddenly.

Izumi bit her lip, not knowing what to say to that. She had no memory of her mother, and it was difficult to imagine someone she had never met being _proud_ of her. She felt a little guilty for not being able to empathize with her father. While they both shared their grief in regards to her grandfather, Izumi found that she couldn't muster up much emotion for her mother beyond disliking her father's pain.

"Of course, she probably would have never _said_ it," her father went on. "She would have just smiled, and you would know. And then immediately deny it if you pointed it out..."

"You're speaking from experience?"

"Well, I don't think Mai was ever _proud_ of me. She would be... pleased when I wasn't being a complete jerk to her…"

"You were a… '_jerk_'?" she asked, most of her confusion stemming from the word choice.

"In her words, yes. Not that I disagree. Your mother and I had a… complicated relationship."

Izumi sat up a little, genuinely interested. Her mother was another topic her father rarely spoke about. When Izumi was little and would ask questions, he would always answer them honestly, but avoided going into detail. "Complicated how?" she asked.

It took him a moment to respond, and when he did, he spoke wistfully. "We were on and off for _years_… First it was my confusion on whose _side_ I was really on, then my inability to handle my stress as Fire Lord. I was _really_ bad at handling our relationship. First I left her to help end the war… then _she_ left _me_ because I was being an insensitive jerk… We loved each other. There was no denying that. But you need more than just love to have a relationship."

Izumi thought about it for a moment, trying to figure out the timeline. "When did you get married?"

Her father chuckled. "You know, it's funny… Osano had tried to kill me, and a month later I end up marrying his daughter. Not the outcome he had been looking for." Then the mirth dissipated. "We found out she was pregnant about six months later."

Izumi could hear the regret in his voice, and it made her feel a little sick. In the end, he only had single solid year with her mother. Only a year out of the entire expanse of a lifetime.

She knew it wasn't her fault. She had been a infant. There was no way she could have stopped the uncontrollable bleeding. But she couldn't help but feel a little guilty.

"I wish she was here," her father said, his voice cracking. "I wish she could see the amazing person you've become."

Izumi's stomach squirmed. "I'm not that amazing…" she mumbled.

He gave her a small admonishing shove. "Yes you are. And _don't_ argue with me."

Neither having the energy nor desire to argue, Izumi complied. They fell into an uneasy silence that was regularly punctured by sounds of yelling and cursing.

After a few minutes, Izumi noticed her father was starting to squirm. "Are you alright?"

"I'm starting to feel stiff…" With a slight wince, he readjusted his posture and placed a hand over his wound.

Izumi pulled away to make it easier for him to move. "You should lie down. It's probably not good for you to be sitting up like this."

"Yeah…" He stiffly moved over and laid down on his back. "I'm... very _tired_ all of a sudden…"

That would make sense. This was his first day moving around so much. Between that and the emotional toll that Katara's labor was causing, it was no wonder that her father would get worn down so quickly. "You should sleep," Izumi said. "You don't want to push yourself too hard."

His lips pursed at the description. "I would hardly call sitting up - " He stopped with a slight groan, his eyes squeezing shut as he raised his hand and rubbed one of his temples.

Izumi wrung her hands together, hating seeing her father in pain. "Is there anything I can get you?"

"No," he said, his voice strained. "I'm just gonna... try and rest for a bit…"

Izumi couldn't be sure, but it seemed as though he almost immediately fell asleep. Which was a miracle given the continuous screaming in the background. She supposed it was a testament to how tired he was.

Her stomach suddenly growled, and she realized that hadn't eaten _anything_ that day. And by now, it was past midday.

Proceeding as quietly as possible, Izumi left her father to sleep. Kanan was back at his post, not even flinching at a particularly sharp scream. "How can you _stand_ all the screaming?" Izumi asked incredulously.

Kanan reached up and pulled a small wad of cotton from his ear. "What was that, Princess?"

She let out an undignified snort of laughter. "You stuffed your ears?" she asked with amusement.

He looked slightly offended. "Of course. I may have military training but there's only so much I can handle."

This only fueled her now incessant giggling, which in turn seemed to make Kanan more annoyed. "Did you need something, Princess?"

Pressing a fist to her mouth, it took her a moment to regain control of her lungs. But a part of her wanted to cling to the laughter. It had been so long since she had felt carefree enough to _laugh_ at something so whimsical. The darkness that had weighed on her soul for so long suddenly didn't feel so horrible.

It gave her hope.

She finally managing to suppress her snickers. With a mirthful smile still lingering on her face, she said, "C'mon. I'm going to get lunch."

* * *

Four hours after Izumi and her father had been effectively kicked out of his room, Katara and Aang welcomed their third child: a healthy baby boy named Tenzin. With their permission, the room was now filled to the brim with family and friends who had come to welcome the new addition.

"So…" Sokka said. "They're _all_ this squishy?"

Katara rolled her eyes. "Sokka, you have two sons and you haven't figured this out yet?"

"Three newborns is not a sufficient sample size!"

Bumi was on his toes, looking over Aang's arm at his brother. "So… why did you guys chose 'Tenzin'? Sounds like an old person name."

"It's an Air Nomad name," Aang said. "Since it's likely he's going to be an airbender, it seemed appropriate."

Izumi glanced at Katara to see her reaction, but she just had an unwavering smile as she leaned back against the pillows.

Bumi looked up at his father for a moment before giving a shrug. "Okay."

Zuko was sitting on the spare bed, still unable to stand for long periods. "How are you feeling, Katara?"

"Exhausted. But happy." She raised her arms and Aang handed Tenzin back to her. "He's healthy and there weren't any complications."

Izumi stepped forward a little, trying to glance at the pinkish blob without getting too close. While she hated to admit it, she had to agree with Sokka's assessment; it was _really_ squishy looking.

Katara seemed to notice Izumi's curiosity. "Do you want to hold him?"

Izumi quickly shook her head, stepping back in alarm. "N-No, that's okay. I don't want to drop him."

Katara shook her head with a sigh. "_Everyone_ seems to think that they're incapable of holding babies. Aang was _terrified_ of holding Bumi when he was first born."

"Really?!" Bumi shot his father a smug look. "Terrified of a baby?"

Aang crossed his arms defensively. "Well excuse me for being careful…" he mumbled.

Izumi took a cautious step forward, as though even the vibrations on the ground could harm the baby. "What if he starts crying?"

"Then you can give him back and I'll feed him again." Katara waved Izumi closer. "Really, it's alright."

When Izumi stepped up to the bedside, she suddenly holding eight pounds of _squish_. Izumi looked down at the pink raisin with wide eyes, questioning its existence in her arms. She must have been holding him correctly, because Katara didn't correct her. The waterbender was merely smiling at her, amused at Izumi's confusion.

Then her father was standing by her side, looking over her shoulder. "Is he heavy?"

At first Izumi was going to say _no_, but then she realized that the strain on her arms was more than she had expected. "He's heavier than I thought he would be…"

Katara chuckled. "Just imagine carrying that around your waist for a couple _months_."

Izumi knew that pregnancy can bring about swollen ankles, back pain, and nausea. Several months of it sounded horrible. And to only end that suffering with several _hours_ of screaming from excruciating pain?

Carefully, Izumi handed Tenzin back to his mother. "I don't think I ever want children."

Most of the other adults in the room replied with almost patronizing amusement, except for Toph, who had no children and had never expressed a desire for any.

It wasn't much later that the nurses demanded everyone except Aang and the kids out of the room. Zuko had arranged for another bed to be brought in so Aang and the kids could sleep comfortably with Katara and the baby. And after that, everyone went about the rest of their evening.

Evening?

Dear Agni, was the day already _over_.

And with this realization, there was also the reminder that in less than twenty-four hours, she would have to attend her grandfather's funeral.

The darkness re-thickened, pulling her back into the pit.

Her father had decided he wanted to get out of the safe house and eat a real meal. So with some effort, Izumi accompanied her father in a slow march to their private dining room. At first it just seemed like his body was just too stiff to move very fast. But they hadn't even reached the halfway point when it became clear that he was in pain. "Are you sure you don't want any help…?" Izumi asked tentatively.

"No," he said firmly. "I'm perfectly capable of walking on my own." He was leaning against the wall, his breathing slow and even as he took his fourth break.

"I know Katara said you should move around, but I'm pretty sure she didn't want you to push yourself _this_ hard."

"I'm fine. My wound is not going to just burst open. I'm more healed along than _that_." He pushed himself off the wall and continued his journey.

Izumi knew that her father's wound was mostly healed. So unless he had some traumatic fall in which his torso was inexplicably stretched beyond its limit, he was going to be fine.

There was a loud roaring, like continuous thunder clouds. The air seemed to drop ten degrees, chilling her skin.

She started to fear just that sort of horrible fall. What if he slipped and accidentally fell against one of the columns? With Katara effectively out of commission, if her father's wound tore open, surely he would just end up bleeding to death on the ground.

Her nightmare flashed before her eyes, image of her father's eyes staring lifeless at her - his body surrounded by blood - burning into her.

"Izumi."

The roaring stopped and the air warmed.

Her father was standing next to her, an arm around her shoulders. "You here with me?"

She understood the words, but the question itself confused her. "I'm… here…" she said uncertainly.

He looked a little frightened, but he nodded and said, "Good." Then he carefully grabbed Izumi's fingers and began to pry them off her arms.

With a sharp gasp, Izumi flung her arms down, horrified at what she had almost done. She almost sputtered out an apology before she remembered her earlier promise. Instead, she looked down and away, ashamed that she nearly lost her control over _nothing_.

"Hey…" her father whispered, rubbing her arms. "It's okay. You just had a moment of panic…"

Determined not to completely lose her composure in the middle of the hallway, Izumi took a deep breath. She forced herself to make eye contact with her father, relieved to find no judgement in his eyes. "I'm okay," she said, feigning confidence.

It was clear that he could see right through her, but thankfully, he didn't call her on it. "Alright." He let go of her arms and stepped back a reasonable distance. "Ready to help your disabled father the rest of the way there?"

Izumi smiled cautiously. "Do you mean you'll actually let me _help_ you."

"Well, I figure I'm going to have to if we want to eat dinner at a reasonable hour."

Grateful that he had ceased being a stubborn emu mule, Izumi grabbed her father's arm and pulled it over her shoulders. She was a bit shorter than him, but she was still able to offer some support.

Slowly but surely, they made their way to the dining room. And there they would have dinner and talk about the most mundane of things. There, they would try and inject some semblance of normalcy back into their lives.

There, they would try and forget the bitter goodbyes they would soon have to make.

* * *

**So what do you all think? Any and all criticisms welcome!**


	16. Chapter 15

**Hello all!**

**The Funeral. This is an emotionally and potentially confusing chapter... Hopefully my writing is clear enough, but I guess we'll see.**

**Enjoy Chapter 15**

* * *

For the first time in nearly two weeks, Izumi and her father slept in their own bedrooms. Well, slept in _Zuko's_ own bedroom. After another panic attack later in the evening, her father didn't hesitate in telling Izumi to stay with him.

She felt like a three year old running into their parent's bedroom after a nightmare, and felt a little ashamed for being so childish. But her father didn't seem to disapprove, so Izumi wasn't going to question it.

The next day was _long_. Every hour seemed to last an eternity. Conversation might have made the time pass quicker, but no one was able to find the words. The dread for the funeral was smothering. Even Izumi and her father spent most of the day in silence.

The first substantial conversation they had ended up being an _argument_ about whether or not her father should be using a cane. It wasn't until Izumi was on the edge of tears that he finally acquiesced. That was when Izumi went on a quest to find a cane that he could start using right away. At first she thought about breaking an appropriately sized branch off a tree in the garden. But then she remembered that there was a chamber that held many artifacts from previous Fire Lords. She went and found the least gaudy cane she could dig out. It was made of burgundy-colored wood with a golden inlay pattern of dragons along its length.

When she returned and handed it to her father, he looked at it with disbelief. "Where did you get this…?"

"It was with all that other junk we have from previous Fire Lords. And _don't_ complain about it. It was literally the least decorated one I could find."

He shook his head. "Well, if I'm going to be using a stupid walking stick, I guess it might as well be _regal_ looking."

The only other notable conversation they had started off about Druk. After a light lunch, they went to the stable and were met with an overly concerned oversized lizard curling around them. Druk inspected every square inch of Zuko's body, letting a low growl when he smelled the blood from his wound. Zuko placed a hand on his head, which seemed to placate the adolescent dragon.

Settling down on the ground of the stables, Druk curled around them and rested his snout on Zuko's lap. Izumi told her father about how Druk and Appa had been drugged, and Druk had gone on a rampage through the palace looking for them after he woke up. "Apparently there are a few parts of the palace that are a bit… damaged."

"I see…" He looked down at his lap. "I'm sorry we worried you."

Druk huffed in response.

"The advisors say it could take over a year to repair unless we raise our taxes."

"Then it'll take over a year," he said firmly. "It's not like we _need_ the entire palace. In fact, maybe it would be a good idea to start downsizing a bit. Many of the wings have been empty for decades now."

And so the conversation spiraled into the intricate details of the palace's the architecture and design. Time passed faster, making the wait less agonizing. But when the time finally came, Izumi decided that time had moved _too_ fast.

"It's almost sunset," Izumi pointed out.

Her father looked out the stable window dispassionately. "So it is."

Through a silent agreement, they both stood and lethargically went to their own rooms to prepare themselves for the… event.

That was when Izumi found herself staring at her wardrobe, once again faced with the conundrum of what she should wear. Last time she had been in her room, she had been preparing for her appearance before the people of the Fire Nation. It was then she had decided to wear her gold-trimmed white robes to her grandfather's funeral.

However, something about that decision just felt so wrong. In fact, this _entire_ affair was just _wrong!_

Izumi backed away from the wardrobe until she was sitting on her bed. She didn't want to do this. She didn't want to go. She didn't think she could stand to watch everyone - watch her _father_ \- cry and mourn. Especially when it was entirely _her_ fault. She didn't think she would be able to handle the guilt.

Her body suddenly stiffened when she realized that her father didn't _know_. He didn't remember and she hadn't told him. That meant that his kind treatment and patient understanding were functioning under the assumption that she had _nothing_ to do with her grandfather's death.

But she did. He died because of her incompetence, her weakness. Not only that, but she had all but ignored him once the attack was over. He bleed to death before her eyes and she had done _nothing_.

She was trembling violently, her breathing short and uneven. Her father was going to _hate_ her when he found out. He wouldn't show it; no, he was too kind for that. But it would show in small ways: he would refuse to look at her, tell her to sleep in her own room, tell her to deal with her own problems…

The thought of it hurt. It _physically_ hurt. It was so bad, she thought her heart might be giving out. Clutching her hands to her chest, she slid off the bed and onto her knees, curling into herself. Tears were running down her face as she tried to calm herself down, but the image of her father's affectionate smile turning cold made it almost impossible.

She remained there, sniveling pathetically until it all ceased from sheer exhaustion. Her breathing was deep and ragged, and her body felt like jelly. Slowly sitting up, she stared into space as the dark pit in her chest rumbled restlessly.

She had to go. She couldn't stay here and hide from the funeral like a _coward_.

_But what about Father?_

He doesn't know. Not yet. You can make it through the ceremony.

_But I can't just keep this from him! If he found I had been hiding this…!_

Tell him afterwards. Let him grieve in blissful ignorance. Once everyone was gone, then tell him. No need to humiliate him in front of the others.

It was funny how a plan of action could pull her back together.

She stared at the white robes that were tucked in line with all her other clothes. The sliver of the white and gold sleeve in contrast with her normal black and red clothes... they mocked her.

Like pushing through thick slime, Izumi slowly got up and removed the robes from the wardrobe. She knew she had to get going. It would be disgraceful if she kept everyone waiting. Her movements were mechanical, her mind carefully blank as she prepared to face the emotional tumult ahead.

_Your father loves you._

She paused, the thought echoing through her. _Yes, but I fear that wouldn't be good enough._

* * *

The funeral took place in the back of the main garden. There had been a long line of people stretching from the casket, weaving through the gardens, and continuing on within the palace itself. These people were the palace staff. Her father wanted to keep the ceremony small, but Izumi knew that the staff would all need to be a part of it as well. Iroh had taken the time to get to know most of them personally, and had often given them life advice. They all deserved to be able to say a final farewell.

The compromise was to allow the staff to pay their respects before the ceremony began.

There ceremony itself was - in many ways - a smaller version of the traditional Imperial funeral. Her grandfather was in a decorated but simple casket, a painting of the retired general resting against the front. It was designed to burn hot and quickly to ensure that there would be no remains left uncleansed. Usually, there would be a wooden canopy with architecture similar to the palace. However, because of the lack of time and the desire for simplicity, waves of golden fabric were draped over a wooden frame.

The only ones to attend were Sokka, Toph, Aang, Katara, and their kids. The Great Sage was the only one there who was not family.

There was crying. All around her, she could hear the sniffles and stuttered breaths of those trying to hold their tears in. And then there was Izumi. After nearly two weeks of crying and sobbing at the drop of a hat, now her eyes remained dry.

Izumi was sitting by her father's side, her body stiff as a board. She passively listened to the Great Sage as he recounted all of her grandfather's accomplishments, and couldn't help but feel a little annoyed. Her grandfather was so much more than _military_ achievements. His spiritual prowess _alone_ made him better than most people. But there was no mention of his wisdom, or kindness, or -

Something touched her. Looking down, Izumi saw that her father had placed his hand over hers. Apparently, she had been digging her nails into her leg without even realizing it. Loosening her grip, her father wrapped his fingers around her hand and gave it a squeeze. Izumi looked up at her father to see that he was looking down at her leg. He must have noticed that she was hurting herself. But once her hand was firmly in his, he turned back to stare at the casket emotionlessly.

_This is your fault._

Flinching, Izumi gazed down at her lap and her father's hand. _Savor your father's comfort while you still can._

She wanted the funeral to be done so the agony could finally end. But she wanted it to drag on forever so she would never have to tell her father the truth. Either way, the painful weight in her chest needed to ease, even if just a little. If it persisted, she was sure it would rip her apart.

"... and it is now that we lay to rest Iroh: husband to Meixing, now passed; father to Lu Ten, now passed; Uncle to Zuko, and Grandfather to Izumi."

Izumi looked up from her lap.

Grandfather.

_My_ grandfather.

Her father stood, resting his cane back on his chair. He slowly walked to the casket and stood before it, staring at his uncle's image. He didn't speak which said more than any words could have conveyed.

His body rigid, he limped to the side of the casket. Normally the fire sages would cremate the body. But this was one task that her father insisted on doing.

Once her father and the Great Sage stood at either side of the casket, they both took a firebending stance, raised their arms…

… and froze.

Her father stared at the casket, his face contorted in pain and fist shaking. The Great Sage would not proceed without a signal from the Fire Lord, so there was a period of silent anticipation, everyone sharing in her father's conflict.

Everyone except Izumi.

Who just wanted it to end.

A quick jab, and the casket was set aflame. It was quickly engulfed, the orange flames roaring and crackling as they devoured their fuel. The brilliant display was almost blinding, but Izumi refused to look away. She watched carefully as the casket was burned and eaten away, the soulless remains of her grandfather being taken away with it. It was only a few minutes before the casket collapsed on itself, throwing red-hot embers up towards the sky. Izumi's gaze followed the embers as their glow quickly faded, leaving behind dark flakes of ash that stood starkly in contrast to the last red vestiges of the setting sun.

_Goodbye_.

It wasn't until the casket had been completely reduced to ash that Izumi was able to tear her gaze away. The sun had completely set, and it was only by the faint afterglow of the sun that she saw that she was alone with her father.

He had not moved since the cremation began. He stood stoically, staring at the pile of ash.

Izumi didn't know how long it had been, but she knew that he shouldn't be straining himself. She picked up his cane and stood. Clutching it to her chest, she stepped towards her father as cautiously as possible, like approaching a scared tigerdillo. By the time she reached his side, his stance had relaxed slightly, which meant he had heard her walking towards him. "Here." She offered him the cane. "You don't want to push yourself too hard."

He took the cane in one fluid motion, his gaze unmoving. He leaned against it and let out a small sigh as the tension was released in his body. "Thank you."

_You need to tell him. Tell him now, you coward!_ "You're welcome…" she replied weakly.

Finally, he turned to her, his eyes filled of exhaustion and his cheeks tearstained. Something tugged painfully on Izumi's heart at the sight, and she suddenly wished she could rip that horrible look right off her father's face.

But then he gave a small smile, his expression softening. He leaned forward and wrapped his arms around Izumi. It wasn't the same tight embrace he had used to comfort her. This hug had an edge of starvation to it, like he was pulling comfort _from_ her.

_I can't comfort you. This is all my fault. You wouldn't need comfort if it wasn't for me._

She had to tell him. This was as good a time as any. If she waited too long, he would resent her for not telling her sooner. It was like a bandage stuck to a wound. It's better to rip it off in one go rather than agony of slowly pulling it away.

"It's my fault Grandfather is dead," she whispered.

First he stiffened. Then he pulled away, hands firmly gripping her shoulders. "No! None of this was your fault…!"

Izumi had expected this. Expected her father to think the best of her, to assume that his daughter wasn't useless. Izumi knew she had to set him straight. Like a bandage.

She quickly shook her head, wrapping her arms around her body as it began to tremble. "N-No. You and Grandfather are master benders. E-Even when you were a teenager you could fight better than I can! If I-I had been better… not let them grab me and use me against you…"

"Izumi, stop."

"And o-once it was all over… I d-didn't even check on him…! He died r-right in front of me and I stood there did _nothing_!"

"Stop it!" he yelled, his grip squeezing her arms painfully. "Just… _Stop_."

And she did, keeping her gaze downcast. She couldn't watch her father's expression transform. It would just be too much.

"First of all… the attack, and what happened _during_ the attack, was because of _Yinzo_." Izumi started to shake her head, but he cut her off. "_No_. Blaming yourself for not being able to fight off assassins is _stupid_. You don't blame a child for being abused. It's not _his_ fault for not being a fighter. He's not forcing his parents to beat him."

"I'm not a child," Izumi insisted.

"Yes, you are. Agni, it's so _obvious_," he said with a tinge of regret. "Fifteen years old is nowhere _near_ being an adult. You shouldn't have the weight of the world on your shoulders. And you are _not_ responsible for the actions of others. No matter _how_ old you are."

She heard him. She understood him. But she didn't believe him. "But if hadn't been for _me_ \- "

"Don't even say it," he said firmly. "Do not say it, and _please_ don't think it, because it's not true."

She couldn't believe what she was hearing. Didn't he understand? If she hadn't been there, Grandfather would still be alive! It was so _clear_.

But a sliver of doubt had penetrated her mantra, and now she had this small dangerous amount of hope. Hope that her father wouldn't hate her after all. That she wouldn't be left alone.

"Izumi…" he said pleadingly. "Please don't force yourself to carry this. There's no reason for you to be torturing yourself."

Even if the attack wasn't her fault… even if it wasn't her fault that they had gotten shot… "I-I didn't help him," she mumbled miserably, tears starting to run down her face.

Her father didn't respond. He didn't even move. With no response, Izumi knew that she was right. There was no excuse for the fact that she didn't even _check_ on him.

Then, her father placed a finger under her chin and tilted her head up until their eyes met. He was crying silently, his hands shaking. "It wouldn't have mattered."

Izumi frowned. _What?_

"The healers said… The healers told me that he was shot straight in the heart." He cupped her cheek, using his thumb to wipe the tears away. "He died almost instantly."

It felt as though all the air in her lungs had been yanked out. If that was true… then that meant that it wouldn't have mattered.

"Izumi… you know you saved my life, right?"

Her eyes widened. What in Agni's name was he _talking_ about?

"I _should_ have bled to death. The healers said it was a miracle I didn't. But then… Aang told me what happened. He told me what he found."

_Blood gushed out, flowing over her hands. It was though she was pushing his life blood straight out of his body._

_No! It just **appears** that way._

Izumi looked down at her hands, remembering the tackiness of her father's blood on her hand. It had been horrifying, but if it was the reason he had _survived_...

A small sob escaped her, and her father's arms were around her again. "Yes, I loved Uncle… and the fact that he's gone…" His voice broke. "I would do almost anything to bring him back."

Izumi buried her face into his shoulder, wanting to hide away from her father's grief. _I'm sorry…_

"But if the spirits had given me the choice, you or Uncle… I would chose you in a heartbeat. Every time." She started to shake her head, but he cut her off. "Uncle lived a full _long_ life. I know he had no regrets. But _you_ have so much more to live for. Your life is just starting." He had a shaky hand on her head, stroking her hair as he touched his forehead to hers. "And while Uncle's passing is _really hard_… if you had died… it would have _destroyed_ me."

This entire time, she had thought her father would blame her. After all, the most important person in his life had died and she had been utterly useless to prevent it.

Except…

She didn't have the skills to fight off the assassins. They had been trained specifically for that single attempt. There was no way she could have known they were chiblockers, let alone defend against it.

_"He died almost instantly."_

_"You know you saved my life, right?"_

It wasn't her fault.

Izumi looked up at her father. His eyes were swollen and bloodshot, regarding her as if she were the most precious thing in the entire world.

It wasn't her fault.

She didn't cry. Her body sagged against her father's, and she smiled. It wasn't a smile of joy, but of utter _relief_. The darkness that had pulled on her heart had been lifted. Some of it still lingered, like smudges against a pane of glass. She would probably never be completely rid of it, but she could learn to manage this. After all the tiny steps, Izumi finally felt as though things really were going to get _better_.

Trails of smoke spiraled towards the night sky from the remaining embers. And a father and daughter found solace in their gentle glow.

* * *

**So what do you all think? Any and all criticisms welcome**


	17. Chapter 16

**Hello all!**

**I got the feeling that you guys expected this story to go for longer. However, I regret to inform you that this is my final chapter, along with epilogue. (Hope it doesn't feel _too_ rushed.) I just want to thank all of you for your support, reviews, and criticisms. I will take it all with me in my future writings.**

**Enjoy Chapter 16 and the Epilogue.**

* * *

The low murmur of crowds echoed in every corner of the palace. People from every corner of the world had come to see the Commencement of the United Republic of Nations. It was estimated that more than fifty thousand were going to attend. It was an historical event that would mark the birth of a land where people of all nations could live together in harmony. It would be remembered for generations to come.

The Commencement was to take place in the courtyard where Fire Lord Zuko and Avatar Aang had officially ended the Hundred Year War. Of course, the courtyard itself could only fit in so many people. So Sokka and a few of his students had designed an amplification system to be used to project everyone's voices out to the majority of masses outside the gates of the palace.

The ceremony itself would include Fire Lord Zuko and Earth King Kuei formally releasing their sovereignty of the lands, Sokka officially becoming the Head Councilman, and of course lots and lots of speeches sprinkled throughout. It promised to be both memorable and unbearably boring.

Izumi was looking forward to some boredom.

It was all scheduled to start in about half an hour. Aang and his family were already sitting outside among the audience. This was a treaty between the Fire Nation and the Earth Kingdom, so Aang was to be a subtle reminder of his support rather than an active participant. Behind the thick curtains were Kuei and his fiance, Zuko and Izumi, and Sokka.

Hearing the throngs of people that were waiting outside, Izumi was grateful that _she_ wouldn't be giving any speeches. Especially after the disaster that had been her address to the Fire Nation. But public speaking seemed to come naturally for her father. Even though most of his speeches have been to dinner parties or other small events, he always knew what to say and how to say it _genuinely_. He was widely known for moving crowds. So it often surprised people that he was a bit… _awkward_ when talking to individuals.

And today was no exception.

Lang Hui was being her normal pleasant self and refusing to even look at Zuko or Izumi. She did, however, attempt to make conversation with Sokka. "Tell me, as head councilman, what will your duties be in regards to preserving the culture?"

Sokka raised an eyebrow. "Preserve the culture…?"

"Yes. After all, Earth Kingdom customs are still deeply rooted in our people. You can take our sovereignty, but I want to be sure you won't completely strip the very essence of Earth out from the land."

From his expression, it was clear that Sokka thought she was crazy. He looked up at Kuei, but found no help as the Earth King sheepishly ignored the conversation. "You do realize the entire point of doing all of this is because the people in these territories aren't _just_ 'Earth' or 'Fire' anymore, right?"

"Yes, yes, I'm fully aware of the _point_," she said, waving her hand dismissively. "And while the negotiations may be over, it would put our minds at ease to have a little assurance that you'll preserve what is _natural_ in our lands."

"They're not _your_ lands," Zuko said abruptly. "They are King Kuei's. And in about an hour, they won't even be _his_. So it really doesn't matter if your mind is _'at ease'_."

Lang Hui was momentarily taken aback, but quickly recovered. "Forgive my ignorance, Fire Lord Zuko, I am not entirely educated in the art of politics…"

Izumi felt her father's body stiffen next to her, and she couldn't blame him. Lang Hui's artificially sweet voice was enough to put anyone on edge.

"... but while King Kuei will no longer have _control_, that does not change the fact that these were Earth Kingdom lands."

"I think the keyword is '_were_'," Sokka said. "Please stop trying to politically manipulate the situation."

Instead of looking guilty or sheepish, Lang Hui smirked. "I'm just establishing where all the… boundaries are."

If Izumi didn't think Lang Hui was a eel-squid before, she certainly did now. Lang Hui was trying to stick her slippery tentacles into every aspect Kuei's influence before even _marrying_ him. And if his uncomfortable fidgeting in the background was any indication, he was just going to roll over and take it.

Izumi shivered. This didn't bode well for the future. But there wasn't much they could do about it now.

"The boundaries have, in fact, been explicitly laid out," Zuko stated. "Maybe when you have a moment, you can read through the dozens of scrolls that constitute our treaty."

Kuei placed a hand on Lang Hui's should as she gave Zuko a cold glare. "Lang Hui, sweetheart…"

She shrugged him off with a disgusted sigh. "Don't. You know you wouldn't even _need_ me if you weren't such a spineless coward." She turned and marched down the hallway, apparently deciding to abandon the ceremony.

Izumi couldn't help but stare in disbelief as Lang Hui disappeared. "Well _that_ wasn't subtle…" Her father gave her an admonishing shove.

Kuei looked back and forth between them and the direction Lang Hui had left in. He clearly wanted to go after her, but there was no way _he_ could abandon the ceremony. He cleared his throat and smoothed out his robes. "She's just emotional… from all the… changes." He was trying to appear authoritative and failing miserably.

No one had a response for him, but thankfully, it was time to line up. Zuko and Kuei were to go out together as equals and then followed by Sokka. As a mere family member, Izumi was supposed to bring up the rear with Lang Hui, but to her great pleasure, now she would have to go solo.

The murmur of the crowd swelled into a roar, excitement and anticipation thick in the air as the three world leaders stepped to front stage. If possible, the deafening cheer only increased when Fire Lord Zuko stepped forward. "Welcome men and women of all nations! Today, you will bear witness to the formation of a new republic: a republic where people of all creeds and all backgrounds can live together in harmony."

He turned and invited Kuei to come up next to him. When Kuei stepped forward with a slight bow, he smiled nervously at the crowd. "Th-The Earth Kingdom stands with the Fire Nation." He paused. "At this commencement. We are partners in… in opening a new chapter for our world."

And the mind numbing speeches _commenced_. Izumi felt a little guilty for not really paying attention, but she didn't think her father would care. After all, the speeches were mostly composed of flowery sentiments and political ideals that she had already heard a thousand times. She paid more attention to her father's body language, assessing his stance and making sure he wasn't pushing himself by standing for too long. The last thing _anyone_ wanted was for her father to collapse in the middle of the ceremony.

Thankfully, he appeared to be doing well. He was standing tall and confidently despite leaning against his cane. He didn't show any signs of pain except for the occasional wince when the crowd would applaud, which was understandable since his head was still a bit sensitive.

In the end, the treaty was laid out in front of Zuko and Kuei, and they each signed it. Then Sokka stepped up to sign it as well, but first he bowed respectfully to Kuei. Then he turned to Zuko, and they exchanged a smile of camaraderie before sharing a quick embrace.

Out of everything that had happened during the ceremony, the look that they had shared was strongest testament to just how much work they had put into this. The years of negotiations, construction, and organization that they had put in… it would all be finalized with a stroke of the brush.

When Sokka finished his signature, one of the fire sages rolled the scroll and turned to Sokka with a smile. "Councilman Sokka. Congratulations... and good luck."

Izumi went to stand by her father in solidarity as the crowd erupted into one last ear-splitting applause. It was the end of the grueling preparation, but the beginning of an entirely new set of challenge. Izumi was just grateful that it was mostly out of her father's hands.

The city had been transformed into a festival of sorts, with more than enough food, games, and activities for the thousands of people. The original plan had been for the world leaders, their advisors, and most of the palace staff to join in with the common people in celebration. However, due to their ongoing recovery, Zuko and Izumi had opted to stay in the palace and celebrate privately.

There were very few people left in the palace. It was just Yu the groundskeeper and a few necessary guards, including Kanan. Izumi had tried to convince Kanan to have some fun, but as usual, he was stubbornly resistant. At least he didn't insist on _following_ her all day.

Since the chef had had gone out into the city, her father had decided to cook for the two of them. Izumi just stared at her father as he began to rustle through the kitchen. "Do you even know _how_ to cook?"

"Of course I do," he said as he laid out the ingredients. "How else do you think I survived in the Earth Kingdom during my banishment?"

"That was over twenty years ago…"

"Come on, Izumi. Have a little faith in me."

Looking at the haphazard way her father was handling the pots and pans, Izumi cringed. "Chef Shion is going to _kill_ you…"

"I promise I'll put everything back the way I found it."

Recognizing the lost cause, Izumi sat down in the corner of the kitchen and watched. "Just don't push yourself. You've been standing for a couple of hours now."

Her father's back was to her, but she could tell that he was rolling his eyes. "I promise I won't."

Izumi, who had never cooked so much as a bowl of noodles, watched her father with interest. It didn't seem like he was doing anything complicated. Just chopping a bunch of vegetables and throwing them into a pan with some oils and vinegar. While he was cooking, Izumi found a couple of bowls and some chopsticks. "Well it smells nice..." she noted.

Her father smiled. "Hopefully it tastes just as good."

When it was done, he scooped it all into the two bowls and then cracked an egg on top of each. Still dressed in their formal robes, they sat down on a couple of empty crates and dug in. It was very spicy and savory despite being composed of nothing but vegetables and an egg. "This is _really_ good."

Her father finished chewing and swallowed. "It's not too spicy?"

Izumi slurped up a cluster of mushrooms, shaking her head. "Not for me."

Once they finished, Izumi helped her father clean the dirty dishes and utensils before putting everything back in its place.

Afterwards, they were heading to see Druk at the stables when her father suddenly stopped. "How are you feeling?" he asked.

The tone was an inquisitive one, which led Izumi to believe that her father was merely curious. "I'm fine," she replied. "What about you?"

"Feeling better than I have in weeks." He was looking down one of the side hallways. "After we get Druk, we should go to the training grounds."

Izumi gaped at him disbelievingly. "Don't tell me you want to _train_? You're still using a cane, for Agni's sake!"

"Alright..." he said rolling his eyes. "One: having an injury doesn't mean you can't train. You just can't be _stupid_ about it. Two: I think this would also be a good chance to get Druk out of those stables and stretch his wings a bit. And three… I think now is a good time for me to keep my promise."

Izumi frowned. "What promise?"

He looked back at her and seemed surprised at her confusion. "To train you. That is, if you still _want_ me to train you."

Izumi's eyes widened. She had completely forgotten. Before the attack, she had been _obsessed_ with doing everything within her power to become a better firebender. It was all she was able to think about.

Well, that and all of the drama with her friends. Thinking back on it now, it all seemed so trivial.

Her father was starting to look a little hesitant. "Of course, we don't _have_ to…"

"No, no, I'd love to!" Izumi said quickly. "I had just… forgotten." She looked down at his cane. "Are you sure you're up for it?"

"Absolutely." He placed an arm around her shoulders. "Especially if it's to keep a promise."

Druk greeted them with his usual contained enthusiasm. Her father told him to meet them at the training grounds, and he eagerly launched himself into the air.

"What do you think riding Druk is going to be like?" Izumi wondered. "When he's big enough, of course."

"Terrifying," her father said honestly. "Especially since I feel like Druk would try and mess with us."

Izumi had to stifle a giggle at the thought of Druk deliberately throwing her father into the air. "He wouldn't let anything _happen_ to us..."

"Oh, I know. It's still an experience I'd rather not have."

When they got to the training grounds, Izumi and Zuko went into separate rooms to change into more appropriate clothing. Izumi breathed out a sigh of relief as she undressed. It was nice to get all of the complicated and heavy layers off. There were still bandages on her arms, but they weren't so hefty that they would hinder training. She gave a full body stretch before putting on some loose pants and wrapping her chest.

Going outside, Izumi found her father sitting by Druk's head. The sight of it envoked an odd sense of _normalcy_. At a glance, this would seem like any typical day for their tiny family. Her and her father, training after a light lunch, Druk being a general annoyance in the background...

Her father smiled when he saw her walking towards him. "So, how do you want to do this?"

"Well… You taught me the traditional firebending ideals of breath and flow... Meanwhile my instructors have been teaching me Azulon's style of bending. Apparently this dichotomy is the reason I have been behind."

He nodded slowly. "That would make sense. I had the same problem when I was growing up."

"Yeah. That's what Grandfather said."

Her father let out a sad sigh. "Well… he would know. He did train me after all." Slowly, he managed to stand by using Druk's neck for support. He was shirtless, so when he faced her fully, the lightning scar on his chest was in full view.

Along with a small white bandage covering his more recent wound.

_Two flashes and two deafening bangs. Like a thunderstorm._

_"FATHER! GRANDFATHER!"_

Izumi swallowed, her hands reflexively gripping her arms. Things were _not_ normal. There were still echos in her head and the sensation of drowning pulling her down…

"Hey." Her father placed a hand on her shoulder. "It's okay."

Izumi shook her head. This was anything _but_ okay. Everything that had happened in these last couple of weeks had been the pure epitome of _not-okay_.

But when she looked up to her father, she saw that he _knew_. Their life had been ripped and smashed into a thousand glass shards. It would take much longer to fit all those pieces back together, let alone fix them.

But they were better. They were able to live again, to go through the motions and continue to mend what was broken.

_I suppose 'okay' is a relative term._

They both knew it. Even through the silence, they understood one another: it _was_ okay. And it would _continue_ to be okay.

Izumi's shoulders dropped as her body relaxed.

And she smiled.

Stepping back, Izumi lowered her arms and took a neutral fighting stance. "I suppose we should start with the basics."

* * *

**Epilogue**

It had been like a tiny needle. A thread of a splinter, poking at her mind.

_"Your father was not the true Fire Lord."_

_"I have felt this way from the very beginning."_

Loyalty. Decades of loyalty to a depraved, murderous, dishonorable tyrant.

Izumi let out a small sigh. She had to admit: she held a sliver of admiration to such commitment. Even if it left a bitter taste in her mouth.

It had been almost four months since the United Republic of Nations had become a reality. It had been a largely peaceful transition. Very little had changed for most of those who were already living in those lands. And as expected, there had been protests in both Ba Sing Se and in the Fire Nation Capital, but almost all of them had been peaceful. The most difficult aspect of the transition had been the ironing out the little that had been inexplicably missed during the years of negotiations.

For Izumi and her father, life had returned to some version of 'normal'. Izumi had begun to go back to school, and her father had resumed his normal duties. Though this was sprinkled with the occasional need to help aid Sokka and the rest of the council in the new nation.

In regards to their emotional recovery, it was an ongoing process. It had its ups and downs; nothing as extreme as those first couple of weeks. For the most part, Izumi was now sleeping in her own bedroom. Though sometimes the occasional nightmare or panic attack would send her running to her father's room, and he never denied or shamed her. They both went through several bouts of depression. When they hit, all Izumi would want to do is curl in her bed and never ever get up ever again. But eventually it would pass. They would find their footing again and continue marching forward.

Izumi would eventually open up about the 'incident' with her friends, along with her attempt to kill Yinzo. And each time, she was met with nothing but understanding and support. However, the one thing Izumi had refused to speak about was the fact that she had murdered one of the assassins.

That would be a conversation for a much much later time.

Katara had remained in the capital for another few of weeks after the commencement in order to monitor Zuko's condition. During this time, Izumi and Katara had had many conversations with one another. In one conversation, Izumi had stated how grateful she was for her father and his patience.

Katara had seemed amused. "Zuko does not come by patience naturally. But he's your father. He loves you and would do anything for you. That's just how all parents are."

At the time, Izumi had just nodded. But it had bothered her ever since, and it was only a few days ago that Izumi realized why. Katara was _wrong_. Not all parents are like that. The prime example being Ozai. Ozai was not only evil by every definition, but he had been a _horrible_ father with no patience or kindness. Putting her father and Ozai in the same category filled Izumi with an irrational rage.

But if Ozai had been the embodiment of all things evil, why was it that people like Yinzo still followed him? Decades of loyalty and fighting spirit... What kind of man could be so horrible yet so inspiring?

It because of this question that she found herself standing in front of this steel door.

For a moment, Izumi could only stair at the door handle. One of the most dangerous men in all of history was just on the other side. Despite sharing blood with the man, she had never met him or even seen him before. Her father had always expressly forbidden her to come to the Capital City Prison.

So she supposed it was a good thing he thought she was in school.

Of course, she wasn't alone. Kanan was with her, though he was obviously uncomfortable. "Princess, are you sure you want to do this?"

"He's not dangerous," Izumi pointed out. "He can't bend and he's been in almost complete isolation for twenty years."

"That's not what I asked."

Izumi took a deep breath. "Stay here. I won't be long." Before she could lose her nerve, she opened the door and walked in.

He was sitting in the middle of his cell. He lifted his head, but between the darkness and the long silver hair, Izumi couldn't see his face. "Well, well… it seems I have a new visitor."

His voice sent a chill down her spine. He sounded so much like her father... but at the same time, not.

Izumi could see him smile as she closed the door behind her. "So whom do I have to thank for this unexpected house visit?"

Did he not know who she was? She supposed that would make sense. The guards probably weren't keen to keep him updated on current events. "I'm just… someone who wanted to meet you."

Ozai chuckled. "So you're either an admirer or a detractor. Either way, someone with strong enough ideals to go through the effort of making your way into this stronghold." He regarded her more carefully. "Though perhaps not…"

Izumi hated to admit that she squirmed under his probing gaze. What she had expected to find was a man all but broken from having all of his power stripped away in one fell swoop. She did _not_ expected the raw authority rolling off of him in waves. It pressed on her body from all directions, threatening to crush her. But she took a deep breath, refusing to allow herself to stutter. "I wanted to see what kind of man you are. What kind of man could cause such hatred, and yet such devotion."

He didn't respond at first. Then he slowly stood, the intensity of his gaze increasing tenfold. "You speak eloquently." His lip curled. "And you carry yourself much like my _son_."

It was the venomous way he spat out 'son'. It was almost unfathomable how much disgust this man clearly held for her father, and it made Izumi sick to her stomach to imagine _anyone_ being raised by this man.

Then their eyes met and for a moment Izumi could hardly breathe. Her legs trembled, desperate for reason to run. _He has Father's eyes._

"So… You must be Izumi."

Her name rolled off his tongue, smooth as silk. It made her feel both disgusting and revered, and she found herself shaking her head in denial.

Ozai smiled. "You cannot deny the facts. I can see it in your eyes: you are of _my_ blood. As much as it disturbs me to know that my line is being continued through that idealistic _weakling_… it's plainly clear that you are of royal blood; a carrier of our divine right to rule."

Izumi swallowed. It was clear now why people continued to follow him so faithfully. His demeanor, his manner of speaking… it was the perfect storm of fear and charisma.

_I want to leave._

He shook his head with a deprecating smile. "To think I became a grandfather as I sat here rotting in my cage of mercy."

There was a bitter acrid taste in her mouth. "No," she said quietly but vehemently. "You are _not_ my grandfather. My grandfather died four months ago. And his name was Iroh."

There was nothing more to say. Nothing more to hear.

_Get out._

Whether she was marching out in anger or retreating in fear, she wasn't sure. All she knew is that wasn't until she was outside that she was able to _breathe_. Out in the open, she looked up at the cerulean sky and let out a sigh of relief.

In the corner of her eye, Izumi saw Kanan running up to her. "I'm fine," she said preemptively.

"Are you sure? You're as pale as a ghost."

"Yeah…" Looking up at the prison, she couldn't help but wonder which window was Ozai's.

Walking away from this, Izumi was overcome by a sense of relief. It wasn't just that she was relieved to be out of that room; it was almost a sense of _solace_. Solace that - despite these last few months of fear, pain, and trauma - her life was free from the terrors of _this man_.

There pair of hawks, black against the pale sky. Izumi's eyes traced their path, watching them as they flew back down into the capital and disappeared.

Her father had survived Ozai. She could survive this.

"Thank you, Kanan."

Kanan raised an eyebrow. "Princess?"

Izumi turned to him. "It just occurred to me that I never thanked you for... everything. So thank you."

He looked mildly surprised, and Izumi expected him to shrug off her gratitude as usual. But then he gave a small smile. "You're welcome... Izumi."

Andhe couldn't help but smile in return. "C'mon." She started to walk down the mountain. "Let's go back home."

* * *

**I published the first chapter of this story on the 15th anniversary of my father's death. It seems fitting that I should finish this story just a few days before his birthday. This story was in honor of my father, whom every single night would sing to me my favorite lullaby: _Dona Nobis Pacem._**

**Any final criticisms welcome :)**


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